A Whisper in the Wind
by Artemis Ignitan
Summary: After achieving the title of Pokemon Master, Ash disappears, leaving nothing except for a strange black feather. Ten years later, disaster has fallen on Kanto, and it appears nothing can save it, until a man cloaked in shadows arrives. Pokeshippy.
1. Prologue

Here we go, my first fic on this website. I hope it's good.

Disclaimer: Why do I have to say this? I don't own Pokemon, 'cause I'm not rich, and my name isn't Satoshi Tajiri. So deal with it.

* * *

**A Whisper in the Wind**

**Prolouge**

He had to get away. Get away from those humans. Those cruel humans. They had found him. The men in the black uniforms. They wanted to use his powers. Powers meant for good, powers for peace, powers to unite Pokemon and human as one. Good powers. But that man, the man in the orange suit, wanted his powers for evil. To rule the world. Well, he wasn't going to let this man take him. Not as long as he was alive! Never!

At that thought, a crimson streak of flames erupted from his beak, scaring the men in the black uniforms. They tried to send out Pokemon to battle him, but the Pokemon, no matter how much they were raised to be evil, could not bring themselves to harm him. Instead, they turned on their own masters, firing deadly attacks at the humans before disappearing in a flash of red light. He knew those Pokemon would be cruelly punished and even killed for blatantly disobeying their masters, but he could do nothing to help them now. Not when he was on the run. He disappeared in a flurry of golden flames.

Reappearing in a dense forest, he stopped to catch his breath. He was weak from the stun guns and force fields and the like, all failed attempts to try and gain his power. The weakness was not a problem, he could easily regain his strength. The problem was, he didn't have the time. Even if he could recover, the man in the orange suit would not stop chasing him until he caught him.

He had to hide. Now.

With a flap of his wings, he turned towards a brightly lit city, and the only person who could help him…

* * *

"_Aaaaaand Blazekin is unable to battle, Pikachu wins! The winner, and new Pokemon Champion is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"_

"_Yeah buddy, we did it!"_

"_Pika, Pikachu!" The happy little mouse jumped into its trainer's arms, cheeks sparking happily. The raven-haired boy gave his faithful friend a hug, still not believing what had just happened. He, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, at the age of 17, had become the youngest Pokemon Master in history. His chocolate brown eyes swam with memories of all the steps he had taken to reach this point…_

_Losing to Ritchie and landing in the Top 16 of the Indigo League…_

_Defeating Drake and winning the Orange Archipelago…_

_Beating his all-time rival Gary in the Johto League, only to lose to Harrison and land in the Top 8..._

_Losing to Tyson in the Hoenn League and landing, once more, in the Top 8..._

_Defeating all seven Frontier Brains and completing the Battle Frontier Challenge…_

_Returning to the Indigo League, and winning the first place spot, allowing him to challenge a special Elite Four, a mixture of Elite members from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn…_

_Defeating all four members of the Elite four, and facing up to the Pokemon Master, to find that it was his long-lost father…_

_And now, finally, achieving his lifelong dream…_

_But…what was he to do now?_

* * *

Ash Ketchum lay in his bed in the luxury suite of the finest hotel in Indigo. Mahogany furniture gleamed in the moonlight. Artifacts decorated the room. Velvet sheets covered his bed, even the pajamas he wore were made out of the best and softest silk. Nothing but the best for the Pokemon Master. Scratching the furry head of the Pikachu beside him, he whispered: 

"You know, I've achieved my dream now, Pikapal, but what next? Is the journey over?"

Pikachu slumbered on, apparently not hearing a thing. Ash smiled, and continued the one-sided conversation.

"As great as this feeling is, there's a part of me that wishes that I never won. The adventure is half-or more-of the fun, right?" He rubbed the rodent's ear, making it squeal a happy, "Chaaaaa," in response. "Will I have to leave all my friends? Will they have to leave me? I'll miss them all so much…Brock, May, Max, Tracey, and especially Mist-" His thoughts lingered on the pretty red-haired girl, stopping the thought abruptly. It was hard to admit some things, even to himself. He smiled. _Tomorrow, I'll tell her tomorrow._ Turning to Pikachu, he said, "Never mind. Good night, buddy." Slipping under the soft velvety sheets, he fell asleep at once.

Pikachu's eyes opened and stared at its master with a strange smile on its face before going back to sleep. It had heard Ash after all.

* * *

"_Ash…"_

"_W-What?"_

"_Ash…"_

"_Who's there?"_

_Ash looked around him, he had woken up in a strange room filled with shadows. The darkness seemed to be endless, he felt as if he was suspended in midair. His throat went dry, it took all he had to force the words out of his mouth._

"_Who's there?" he repeated, this time with much less confidence than before._

"_Someone who has been watching over you…"_

"_W-wha?" Ash tried to swallow, something, anything to get his throat moist…nothing came._

"_I have been watching you…ever since you and Pikachu took that first step to becoming lifelong friends…" A pair of golden eyes suddenly appeared in front of him. Surprisingly, Ash felt comforted, not scared. _

"_You-you have? Wait…does that mean…"_

"_Yes, child." A shadowy figure materialized around the golden eyes into the silhouette of a large bird._

"_No way," whispered Ash to himself. Now that he knew who it was, his fear had disappeared completely, replaced with joy. He had seen this Pokemon several times, but never thought it would actually come and speak to him. It was supposed to be hiding from humans. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I need your help, Ash."_

"_M-me?"_

"_Yes, young one."_

"_What can I do?"_

"_Help me hide."_

"_Hide? From who?"_

"_The man you call…Giovanni."_

"_Him? I thought I destroyed Team Rocket two years ago. They're back?"_

"_If you mean the men in the black suits, then yes."_

"_No way…but how can I help you hide?"_

"_You do not have to accept, but…I need to reside in a human body."_

"_A human body?"_

"_Yes. A human body will mask my powers from view. Do not worry. You will not die or give up your body to me. I will only reside in a small corner of your mind. But…the problem is, I don't know how your body will react. I don't know if it can take the strain. And even if it could…I don't know if your will is strong enough. If you decide to help me, your life will change, forever. For better or worse, I do not know. Will you help me?"_

"_Of course!"_

"_Think about it carefully, young one. This is not a simple rescue mission. You can't jump into this like you have into so many other things."_

"_I know. There could be many consequences. But if its going to help you and others stay out of danger, it will be worth it. I'm ready."_

"…_Spoken like only someone with a pure heart would. I was right in choosing you, Ash."_

_Ash smiled, then put his hand on the bird's chest feathers, right over its heart. A blinding light engulfed the area, and then all went black once more._

* * *

Ash bolted up, sitting in his velvet covered bed, beads of sweat on his forehead. Pikachu was up and alert, staring at him, worry in its face. Nobody but the two knew about their special connection. They were able to read each other's minds and borrow energy, stamina, and even abilities from each other. Utilizing this unique ability, Pikachu spoke to its trainer in human tongue. 

"Ash, I saw what happened…"

"I know…but…was that real?"

"Look at your hands."

Ash stared at his hands, and quickly stifled a yell. Etched along his arms was a complex array of lines, laid out in an almost artistic way, drawn in the color of his namesake. That was not what had surprised him, however. What unnerved him was that just seconds ago, they had been glowing a bright gold…

"P-pikachu…I can't believe it…"

"I know…"

"Pikachu…I can't stay here…"

"W-what?"

"You saw the dream. Giovanni is after him. I can't stay in one place. I can't…"

Pikachu saw a look of pain cross his trainer's face. "What, Ash?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"…"

"Ash?"

"…I can't see my friends and family again."

"But…why?"

"Think about it, Pikachu. Giovanni will be after me, and he'll do anything to get me. If he feels our friends are in the way, he'll…" Ash didn't want to continue.

"Yeah, I understand…but you better not leave any of your Pokemon, especially me, behind. We're perfectly capable of helping you, and anyways…we'd pummel you into the ground before letting you go anywhere without us."

Ash smiled. "Alright, you win, Pikapal."

* * *

Ash gently eased open the door to Misty's room to say goodbye. He had saved hers for last, because he knew it would be the hardest to do. Pikachu quickly left his shoulder and silently opened the window. Ash stood next to her bed, hoping that her eyes would open so he could see those beautiful sea-green eyes one last time, while his common sense was wishing that they would remain closed. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper…and it was not what he had planned to say…but it seemed fitting somehow… 

"Mist…I'm so sorry…"

Misty mumbled and turned in her sleep, making Ash freeze. Luckily, she did not awaken. Ash took a strand of her fiery red hair, fingering its softness. Why did he feel so reckless? He had to get out of here quickly. But there was one last thing he had to say…but it was so hard…

"Mist…promise me…you won't…lose yourself…like…I will have to lose myself. Promise me…"

Misty mumbled again, making Ash smile. He then quickly moved towards the window, where Pikachu was impatiently waiting for him.

"You didn't confess?" Pikachu asked in a hushed whisper.

"What's the point? She won't see me again." Pikachu looked at Ash shrewdly, cocking its ear.

"…Maybe…maybe not."

With that, Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder. Ash jumped out of the window, his body quickly fading into the dark abyss we call night…

A soft breeze blew, whisking leaves into the air and into the window. It passed the curtains, blowing them and making them look frail and ghostly. A soft whisper echoed through the room…

_I love you, Mist…_

* * *

"ASH, NO! DON'T GO!!!" 

With that cry still fresh on her lips, a pair of sea-green eyes opened abruptly in shock and fear, the girl owning them shaking as beads of sweat rolled from the crown of fiery red hair down her pale face. She shuddered as she remembered the dream, it felt so real…Ash had been fading away into darkness, when she reached out for him and cried to him to take her hand, he turned away. He said that he couldn't drag her down with him, then disappeared completely from sight. She had cried out once more, then found herself in bed, shaking.

She couldn't shake off how real the dream felt, it made her feel cold inside thinking about it. The breeze coming in from the open window wasn't helping her warm up much either…wait, the window was open?

She rose out of bed, and prepared to shut the window when a small gust of wind blew through. A strange black feather drifted into the room and nestled itself comfortably in the crevice Misty's head had imprinted in her pillow.

Ignoring the open window, Misty ran to her bed and fingered the feather, it was so strange…and yet…familiar…comforting. The feather was the exact same raven-black color that dyed the hair of one Ash Ketchum…

Stroking the feather, she was filled with a sense of calm and courage.

_Tomorrow._ _I'll tell him tomorrow…_

end of prologue

* * *

So, I hope this story was good. I have most of it written down already, so I will update only if I get a nice amount of reviews. So...review! Or I shall hunt thee down, XD. 


	2. Chapter 1: Stranger in the Shadows

**(A/N):** Hi all, it's time for the next chappie of the fic. I expect to update every 4 to 7 days, due to the fact that most of this fic has been written. I'll tell you right now, it's expected to be 11 chapters long, and 9 have already been typed. Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, they make me feel so happy!

**Disclaimer(again):** I don't own Pokemon. I do own this story. So there. :P

* * *

**A Whisper in the Wind**

**Chapter 1**

_This was sad. No, not sad…depressing. The whole region of Kanto…fallen. Fallen. With no Pokemon Master to guide them, and no one willing to step up to the task, no one was left. Only one person had been able to stop them…but he was gone. Gone right after he had fulfilled his dream. _

_And there was nothing the rest of them could do about it…_

* * *

10 years from the end of Prolouge

Pure. Simple. Untouched. A…haven, was what they would have called it.

But there was no "they" left to call it a haven. There wasn't even a haven left. And it made his heart ache to see what was left of Viridian Forest. Just a charred skeleton, save for some low brush.

Pokemon cowered in those bushes, seeing as there was no other green for them to hide under. They shrunk away from the hooded figure that seemed to drift along like a ghost through the blackened field. But as it got closer, they felt a warmth emanating from it…a warmth they hadn't felt in ages. Coming closer, they saw it hid the figure of a human, a kind one…they hadn't seen a kind human in forever. All the bad men in black had either killed them or locked them in their homes.

Suddenly, the figure stopped. An arm withdrew from its cloak, bandages covering every last bit of skin. A fingerless black glove decorated the hand, now clutched tightly in a fist. Opening the fist, the arm swung round, scattering a grayish power in the wind. The breeze carried the powder before dropping it, covering the entire field in grey sand. The Pokemon crept closer, sniffing the sand, before letting out cries of joy. This was no ordinary sand…this was Sacred Ash.

From each grain of ash, a seedling sprouted, most of them grass, but some of them were saplings, baby trees. The Pokemon gathered around the figure, chattering words of thanks in their language as the figure withdrew its arm back into the dark folds of its cloak. Then it spoke, in a gentle, soothing voice.

"Now you take care of these saplings, you hear? I started the rebirth of the forest…but its up to you now to finish the job."

The Pokemon smiled at him, knowing the figure had to keep himself hidden, and could not stay to finish the job. But really, it didn't matter. They were content to know that they had been given a second chance in life…

* * *

Viridian City was a depressing place these days. Then again, why wouldn't it be depressing when an evil organization had made its headquarters in your hometown for almost 10 years now? With the increased security these days, it wasn't very cheery. But one couldn't help but wonder what had caused the upgrades in security, and why Team Rocket seemed to be so worried…

* * *

"Meh, this is getting boring."

"Hey, you heard the boss' orders! We have to keep this front door guarded!"

"What's the point? It's not like there's anybody brave enough to challenge us!"

"I guess, but we still have to do our job! Otherwise the boss will have our heads!"

The Rocket grunts were standing in front of a huge steel door, which was the entrance to a large, castle-like fortress, emblazoned with the trademark red "R". Or they had been. Now they were just leaning against the door, mugs of coffee in their hands, empty mugs were scattered across the ground. It was pretty obvious that they desperately needed sleep.

A rustle came from the bushes.

"Huh? Whuzzat?" mumbled the first guard, who had been slouching against the door, on the very edge of sleepy land.

"I didn't hear nothin'…" murmured the second guard, his speech beginning to slur.

Another rustle.

"There it is again!" exclaimed the first guard, now awake and alert. He whipped out a gun and pointed it at the bushes.

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about…" the second guard replied, awakening at the sight of the gun.

The bushes rustled again.

"See?"

"Oh, yeah, I see," answered the second guard, pulling out his gun. "Come out, come out, whatever you are…"

A figure jumped out of the bushes and started sniffing at the ground, freezing when it saw the guns.

"It's only a Rattata, you dumbass," said the second guard, smacking the first guard on the head with the barrel of the gun. "Must be the coffee…"

"Yeah, the coffee, that's it…" replied the first guard sheepishly. Neither one of them noticed the Rattata disappear into thin air, nor did they notice a hooded figure scaling the wall behind them…

* * *

"_Huh. They increase security, and all I find is a pair of caffeinated, half-awake guards at the door. Maybe the inside will be more challenging."_

A cloaked figure hid in the shadows of the fortress' roof, trying to find an entrance. Mentally linking with the Pokemon in his backpack, he talked with it to pass the time.

"_Don't get cocky now. Remember what happened during your journey when you let yourself get overconfident?"_

"_Yeah buddy, I know. A humiliating defeat. By the way, Pikapal, nice illusion there."_

"_Thanks, but don't change the subject. We have an organization to stop."_

"_Yep, and the first step is to free the prisoners…" _The cloaked figure shuddered as it began to relive old memories of Team Rocket. He made an attempt to stop himself. No, no, no! He wasn't supposed to feel emotion anymore! Only Pokemon could see his real self now…

Steadying himself, he lifted the opening to the ventilation shaft…

"_Typical. The air vents…"_

"_As long as it works, Pikapal, as long as it works…"

* * *

_

Crawling around through the air vents, the figure tried to get a sense of where he was, but all attempts were futile.

"_Pikachu, can you get a good look at this place with your psychic vision? Take care of the north end, I'll get the south."_

"_Roger that."_ A few seconds passed, the figure turning its head to see everything, before getting a message from the rodent in his backpack. _"Jeez, you were right about the security being better on the inside. I can't count all the guards!"_

"_Well, buddy, I just found something rather interesting. Looks like we might have to split up for a bit."_

"_Why? What's wrong?"_

"_Looks like Team Rocket's captured an old friend," _the figure replied, pointing downward. Following his finger, Pikachu gasped.

"_They…they have Mewtwo? Again?"_

"_Again," _the cloaked figure responded bitterly. _"Have you located the prisoners yet?"_

"_Yep, on the lowest floor, section E."_

"_Gotcha. I'll rescue Mewtwo. Take care of the prisoners for me, will you, buddy?"_

"_Sure, no problem." _The Pikachu hopped out of his trainer's backpack and ran past him, hiding itself in the shadows. It stopped, and looked back at its trainer with a sad look, then left. _I know you're still scared to go near people, Ash. Why can't you be the way you used to? You were so cheerful back then…

* * *

_

A woman woke up and sadly looked at her friends, all chained up beside her, all in the same cell. She blew a stray strand of flaming red hair from her face and took to staring at all her comrades, who were all still unconscious. All of their clothing, like hers, were ripped and torn, scars everywhere, some old, some new, still oozing dark red blood.

First, a dark skinned man, with slits for eyes, and brown spikes for hair…

Then a woman, with long brown hair, shaped almost like dog ears, and bright blue eyes…

Then a man, several years younger than the rest, with black hair that was smoothed back, and a pair of large glasses, whose lens were cracked.

Then next to her, someone she hoped she wouldn't see again. A man with chestnut-colored hair and brown eyes, eyes that were almost the same chocolate color as someone else she knew…no, someone she loved…

Their names? Brock, May, Max, and Rudy.

And her? One Misterrea Waterflower, or Misty for short. And she was the one in most pain. She had been here the longest…almost a year, to be exact.

Agony. Pain. Torture. When would it all end? When could they finally be free? When could they see the light again? When could they feel the breeze playing upon their faces? The breeze…it was the only thing keeping her alive. Ever since that day 10 years before…

* * *

_Misty had woken up, energized and delighted, not even remembering the dream from last night. Clutching the strange black feather, she went over the words she wanted to say to him…but nothing sounded right. Once she had finished getting dressed, she was about to open her door, when a frenzied knocking rattled it._

"_Misty! Something's wrong!" It was Brock's voice._

"_What? What is it?" A sense of foreboding came over her._

"_It's…it's Ash." Suddenly, the dream from last night came to her, and she started to panic._

"_What? What's happened to him?"_

"…"

"_Brock?"_

"_He's…disappeared."_

"_WHAT?!"_

"_It's true! Come to his room."_

_Misty raced to his room, quickly stuffing the black feather in her pocket, where she found Max and May at the door. Misty didn't waste any time, she opened the door. All of Ash's things were gone. His backpack, his clothes, his Pokemon…then she saw something that chilled her very heart._

_Laying neatly at the foot of his bed was Ash's Pokedex, his Pokemon Master's badge…and a strange, raven-black feather.

* * *

_

Misty thought she would never live past the next day, she probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for what happened after that. At first she thought she was hallucinating, but when it started happening every week…she began to listen closely. At first it was a small gust, then it grew into a waft of cool wind, then finally, a soft, caressing breeze. The wind was speaking to her. She couldn't tell what it was saying, but it comforted her, somehow. No matter how much she strained her ears, she could never make out more than quiet whispering, almost too faint to hear. After hearing it for all those years, she could still only make out one word…

_Mist…_

And that was the word that stopped her. Mist. Only one person had ever called her that. Hearing that one word…that one word…it gave her hope. It told her that Ash was still alive somewhere. He would be back.

He would, he would…

Misty was shocked out of her thoughts to hear the door click open. Everybody's eyes opened at the dreaded sound, that sound only meant one thing. Torture time…

But when the silhouette appeared, she was confused. It was way too short to be a Rocket grunt. The ears were too pointy. And it had a tail. When it stepped closer, everybody could see what it was, and they gasped.

It was a Pikachu. But, it was no ordinary Pikachu, it was unlike any Pikachu they had ever seen before.

Its cheeks were so dazzling and bright, they seemed to be made out of rubies. The tips of its ears, the brown of its eyes, the stripes on its back and the brown at the base of the tail were now a clear diamond-crystal color. When light shone on them, they glittered like the jewel their color was named after. But its fur…its fur was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. It was not the bright lemon yellow of its kind, it was the deep rich color of molten gold, mixed with sunbeams. But what amazed them the most was the fact that it began to speak to them, in human tongue. It's voice was calm, soothing, as rich as the color of its coat.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. Me and my trainer have come to get you all out of here."

"You…you can talk?" whispered Misty weakly.

"Yes, but its best if we keep silent. Hold still." The Pikachu walked up to her, not believing who it was seeing. _I can't believe it's them…Mew, Ash will freak! _Standing next to the wall, it tapped it, sending a rainbow colored energy (think of Psybeam in the anime) through the wall and down the chains that bound them there, shattering them. Misty stared at the Pikachu…it looked…familiar…

"Do I…know you…or your trainer…from somewhere?" The Pikachu looked at her strangely.

"Maybe…maybe not." Its ears began to twitch as it sent a message to Ash.

"_Ash, are you there?"_

"_Yeah, buddy, where are you?"_

"_I found some of the prisoners…you wouldn't believe who they are!"_

"_Not now, Pikapal. I need your help! Mewtwo's gotten a whole lot stronger now! Escort the prisoners outside, then come back in here and find me!"_

"_Gotcha!"_

"Pikachu? Something wrong?" May's voice penetrated his consciousness.

"Hmm? Oh, no, nothing wrong. Just talking with my trainer." Everybody looked around confusedly. "Psychically." Everyone murmured 'ohhhh' in realization. Pikachu rolled its eyes.

* * *

"Here's the exit. I have to leave!"

"Why?" questioned Rudy, rubbing his heel.

"I need to get back to my trainer." Pikachu smiled inwardly, it couldn't help but give Rudy a rather unpleasant (but small) zap, luckily nobody else seemed to notice. Running back into the building, it didn't notice the others' conversation.

"We can't let that trainer be alone after they helped us!" Misty said.

"I know, it doesn't seem right," agreed Brock.

"I heard the alarm sound. All the guards are probably after him or her," commented Max.

"Yes, and it wouldn't be fair to leave that person behind," Rudy said, although secretly holding a grudge against Pikachu.

"And now that we have our Pokemon back, nobody can stop us!" exclaimed May.

The group quickly ushered the rest of the prisoners outside the gates and ran back in, determined to find their savior.

* * *

Ash quickly ducked out of the way of a powerful Shadow Ball attack thrown by the large purple and white cat-faced creature in front of him.

"Mewtwo, snap out of it!"

It didn't listen. Focusing its empty eyes on him, it fired a Psychic attack, catching the cloaked man by surprise and suspending him at midair. Lifting its hand it prepared another Shadow Ball. The sphere quickly flew towards him…to be cut off by a rainbow-colored Thunderbolt, slicing it in two. The explosion disoriented the Psychic Pokemon, causing it to release its Psychic grip on the trainer.

"_Ash! Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah. Just got caught off-guard. Pikachu, can you locate what's controlling him?"_

Making its eyes glow that same rainbow color, it focused on Mewtwo, where it saw something out of place…

"_There's a computer chip in its brain."_

"_Ah, that explains it." _Ash jumped up and fired a golden beam at Mewtwo, paralyzing it and bringing it down to its knees. Landing next to Mewtwo, he made his hand glow golden before reaching inside its head, groping around…at the same time Misty and the others came in.

"D'ya think that's him, Misty?" questioned Max.

"Yeah, but he seems so different from his Pokemon. All I can see is black." replied Misty. Indeed, his cloak and hood shadowed every part of his body, and as he leaned over Mewtwo, he seemed like a vampire getting ready to drink his victim's blood.

"Stop! What are you doing to Mewtwo?" cried Brock.

"Don't worry," said Pikachu. "He is only searching for the computer chip controlling Mewtwo."

"Got it!" exclaimed the hooded figure, raising up a small computer chip to the light. "Man, these things get smaller every day," he muttered before crushing it in his hands. At that moment, Mewtwo began to awaken.

"Ugh…where am I?"

"They got you again, old friend," Ash replied.

"Old friend?" everybody else questioned, making Ash jump, he hadn't noticed the others there before.

"Them? No…"

"Yes, but you are now free. I hope that we may spar again soon, although I hope you won't be mind-controlled."

"Yes, we will spar again. It was good seeing you again, A-" Mewtwo stopped abruptly, noting the frantic mental messages from Ash and Pikachu. Looking behind them, he noticed his old friends and understood completely, quickly changing directions mid-word. "Aaaa…Satoshi."

Pikachu and "Satoshi" breathed a sigh of relief. "_You know, you should tell them. They are truly trustworthy, Ash."_

"_It's not a matter of trust, Mewtwo. You know that."_

"_Whatever you say, Ash." _Levitating in the air, it blasted a hole in the ceiling and flew off into the starry sky.

"So, your name is Satoshi, isn't it? Thanks for saving us," said Misty, who had come face to face with him.

"Satoshi" shrugged his shoulders and answered with a "Mm-hmn," before turning around to leave. _"Pikachu, what is she doing here?" _Pikachu smiled slyly, he knew things were going to get interesting really soon.

"_I told you that you wouldn't believe who it was!"_

end of chapter 1

* * *

Mmmnnn...nothing much to say here. Just review, and tell me what you think!


	3. Chapter 2: Storm's Fury

Alrighty, chapter 2 is up, there shall be some Pokeshippiness here. Oh yeah, and a lot of Team Rocket humiliation, XD.

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Pokemon. --;

**

* * *

**

A Whisper in the Wind

**Chapter 2**

Ash was feeling extremely panicky right now. This…this wasn't supposed to happen! He couldn't get close to anybody. Never! All his emotions were tossing and turning all over at the sight of the pretty redhead…no! He shouldn't be feeling that way anymore! Although…he had to admit she had grown into a beautiful woman…noooo…stoppit!

Only Pikachu could see his emotional turmoil at the moment. To everyone else, he seemed to be like a robot, not responding to anything, just going through the motions. However, everybody could see him cringe as they got closer.

"You know, Satoshi, you kinda remind me of someone I used to know…" mentioned Misty.

"Oh…r-really?" stuttered "Satoshi". _Oh crap…_

"Yeah, with that Pikachu on him, you'd think he was Ash…" Brock mentioned, then immediately bit his tongue at the sight of the now-depressed Misty. Noting her look as well, Ash bit his lip, trying to push back the new thoughts…but it was getting harder every second. _Gee, I must have really hurt her…_ Pikachu was inwardly grinning at the situation. _Maybe the **real** Ash will break through soon, and not have to hide behind "Satoshi" anymore…_

"Who…who is this 'Ash'?" questioned "Satoshi". For some reason, he felt like he was getting himself more tangled up in this situation than he should be.

"You've never heard of him?" the others asked in surprise.

"Um…I've been sorta…isolated from human society for quite a bit of my life."

"_Pfft. You're just scared. It took me forever to convince you to come here!"_

"_I heard that!"_

"Well, he was…one of our closest friends…" Misty couldn't continue, her eyes had begun to well up in tears.

"Was?"

"He disappeared ten years ago," explained Brock, over Misty's quiet sobbing.

"So…uh…how did you guys get here?"

"Team Rocket took over Kanto not long after Ash disappeared. Five years ago, there was a revolt against them. But without Ash, it sorta…fell apart. We all got captured at different times, but the revolt ended about six months ago. We always wondered if things would have happened differently if Ash was around. He was the only one who ever defeated their leader, and actually shut down Team Rocket twelve years ago."

"Ohh…so…I guess he was pretty important to you all, right?" Ash was shifting his feet around nervously, but the long cloak prevented anybody from seeing that.

"DON'T MOVE OR WE'LL SHOOT YER HEADS OFF!" Two Rocket grunts appeared at the door, guns in hand. Upon closer inspection, one could easily see that the guns were shaking, as if the guards had too much energy…

"Oh no, it's you two caffeinated losers again…" moaned Ash. "Seriously, you guys have _got_ to lay off the coffee."

"Whatever, punk. So are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?" Ash disappeared in a flash, then appeared behind the two guards with an orb of golden light cradled between his hands.

"How about MY way?" The two guards turned around to see nothing but a flash of light before their whole world went black…

"You…you killed them?" exclaimed Misty in surprise.

"Nah, they're just knocked out. Best if we get them outta here though…" muttered Ash, as he held a glowing golden palm towards them. The next second, their bodies disappeared. "Be best if we got outta here too…Pikachu, did you locate everybody in the building?"

"Yup!"

"Alright…then teleportation in three…two…one…" A blinding flash rushed through the whole building. When it faded away, every person and Pokemon had disappeared.

* * *

In front of the Rocket headquarters, a massive crowd of people and Pokemon suddenly appeared out of thin air, the majority of them wearing black uniforms and confused expressions.

"Wha? Where are we?"

"Dunno, it just…happened."

"Hey look, there's the headquarters!"

"He's right? How'd we get outside?"

"What's going on?"

"I'm scared…" Everybody paused in disbelief, but when their emotions caught up to them…

"Me too!"

"I want my mommy!"

"Somebody help me!" The prisoners-plus a guy in a cloak and a golden Pikachu-stared, trying to hold back their laughter. This was the great Team Rocket? This was the nefarious criminal organization that had ruled one of the mightiest Pokemon Lands for nearly a decade? Strip away the power, and all you find is a group of sad losers who joined for their own protection, to feel powerful. Oh the irony…

"Pathetic…" rang a cold, icy voice that made shivers go down everybody's spine. They found out that it came from the cloaked stranger, face still hidden by the shadows of his hood. Their confidence boosted a little when they saw that the stranger was on his own, even though the strange appearance of his Pikachu unnerved them a little. One of them found their voice and spoke to him in a voice of faked courage.

"Who-who d-do you th-think y-you are? Do you really t-think th-that Team Rocket will fall at th-the hands of one p-person?"

"Yeah, he's right! We don't back down!"

"Get'im!"

"CHARGE!"

The stranger let out a harsh, yet amused laugh that pierced the ears of everyone there upon hearing that last statement. "Try me," he said as he opened his cloak, appearing much like an eagle spreading its wings. The body that was hidden in the dark folds of his cloak could now be seen. A black T-shirt with long black pants hid most of his skin, what wasn't covered with dark, glossy material was covered with graying bandages. Even though the skin wasn't visible, it was easy to see that his body was quite muscular. Not the typical body builder's muscle, though. His were more lean, athletic, but still quite formidable. However, that was not what was scaring the Team Rocket grunts. It was his cape, not the cape itself, but what was in it.

Minimized Pokeballs were attached to every inch of the inside of the cloak. There were at least 200, easy. And each and every single Pokeball had a Pokemon inside, ready and raring to attack.

"Eeep…" squeaked the grunt who had spoken out against him. "Um…I'll pass…" Hell yeah he was gonna pass, that kid had more Pokemon than all of them combined! Plus, it was pretty apparent that it was either him or the Pikachu who had teleported them outta there. There was no way that he would throw himself into a losing battle! Around him, the others looked like they were thinking the same thing.

"We surrender! Just don't hurt us, please!" all of them screamed in unison. As emotionless as he appeared to be, Ash had to work very hard to stifle his laughter. Pikachu had already passed that point and was rolling on the ground, its raucous laughter taunting and teasing the nerves of the humiliated grunts. They wanted desperately to get back at the little rodent, but fear of what it and its trainer could do to them, along with their common sense, kept them at bay. Ash smiled at his little friend, then turned to the cowering grunts. He raised a glowing palm and encased the frightened grunts in a golden dome.

Reaching inside his cape, he pulled out six of the numerous Pokeballs. "It's time somebody stopped this madness… for good." At those words, he threw the six Pokeballs into the air. Those little Pokeballs, barely wider than a thumb, grew into the size of fists and opened, in a flash of bright light, to reveal six Pokemon. Four of them appeared to be dragons, the other two were huge birds.

The first dragon had orangey-red leather skin, with a bright blue sapphire eye leering at the Team Rocket grunts and a large flame at the base of the tail. Large fangs could easily be seen in its mouth, and the serpentine tongue looked almost devil-like as it flickered out of the mouth. This Pokemon was called a Charizard, dragon of flames.

The second dragon was a yellowish-gold, nowhere near the shining brilliance of Pikachu, but still beautiful nonetheless. The eyes seemed almost benign, gentle, compared to the hawk-like sharpness of the others, but upon closer inspection, the furious sparks in them were extremely noticeable. A Dragonite, the rarest of all dragons, was its proud name and title.

The third dragon was a lime green, with dark green patterns decorating its hide. Red coverings encased its eyes, masking their true color. This was the Spirit of the Sandstorm, Flygon.

The fourth was the most formidable. Unlike the other three, it was stationed on four bulky legs instead of walking upright. Its bright blue skin put clear skies to shame. Red leather wings were tucked in tight, although fully stretched, its wingspan could easily reach ten feet. Razor sharp teeth decorated its large mouth. This was Salamance, lord of dragons.

The two birds could have been called lords of their kind as well. One was an eagle, with light brown feathers that were softer than the fluffiest down. It's eyes were the definition of "eagle eyes" themselves. Talons as sharp as Salamance's teeth were gripping the ground tightly. Its wingspan was just as long as Salamance's, maybe more. Twice the size of its own kind, it could carry 10, maybe 20 people easily. Pidgeot was its name.

The second bird was even more radically different from its kind. Its species was a daytime sort, cavorting around in the sun. However, its naturally dark colors caused it to be used mostly for night flight over the years, darkening its already deep blue feathers into a jet black color. The chest feathers, once white, had become a deep gray. It was also much bigger than one would normally see, this one was big enough to carry 2 people without much effort. This was a Swellow.

Everyone gaped at the sight of the majestic beasts of the sky, it was rare that you would get to see Pokemon so well trained as this, and so many of them too! This moment would be forever remembered by many.

Ash and Pikachu climbed onto Swellow's back, taking off into the sky with the other five Pokemon following him. They surrounded the Team Rocket headquarters, making a perfect circle around them. Ash then raised his hand once more, bathing all his Pokemon in a golden aura. They all then flew around the base, creating a golden ring in the sky.

"Prepare Hyper Beams, now. Pikachu, charge up." Pikachu jumped up and into the very center of the circle, its own psychic powers bathing it in that eerie multicolored glow, suspending it in midair. Its eyes were closed, as if concentrating on something very deeply.

"FIRE NOW!"

At that very moment, six bright beams of pure energy was fired at the building from the ring. The spinning movement caused all the beams to mold together into a powerful vortex, destroying anything inside, but not out.

"PIKACHU, STORM'S FURY!!!"

At that moment, the vortex disappeared, unable to withstand the sheer force of the energy surrounding the little rodent. The eyes flashed open, glowing with a flurry of colors. Lightning bolts directed from the clouds struck the rodent, making the multicolored force grow, before shooting down directly at the base, blowing it up in a tremendous explosion. With a flick of his wrist, Ash quickly created a golden shield around it, containing the blast.

Everyone was amazed at the power this young man contained and restrained. It had enough brute force to destroy a city ten times over, but was gracefully coordinated and controlled to pinpoint only enemies, and leave allies unharmed. The grunts shied away in fear, although the shield prevented too much movement. It didn't matter, really, after seeing what this kid could do, they were much too afraid to do anything to upset him.

* * *

The officers had come and gone, the prisoners had been escorted home. Well, most of the prisoners. A group of five _very_ headstrong and stubborn trainers refused to leave. Well, when you were a friend of Pokemon Master Ash Ketchum, his attitude seemed to grow on you. Either way, this was very troublesome and restrictive to the one known as "Satoshi".

"Look, I really have to go-"

"Oh no you're not!" the five trainers said as they surrounded him. They knew he didn't want to hurt them, mentally or physically. They just had to keep working away at his guilty conscience.

"You don't understand-"

"Try us!"

"But-but…" Bingo.

"Ohh, looks like you don't have a reason to go," said Misty in a sickly sweet voice.

"Seriously…" Ash was seriously starting to get worried, that tone of voice could only mean one thing…

"Do I really have to use this?" Misty said menacingly as she held up a large wooden mallet.

Everybody was thinking the exact same thought. _She still has that thing?!_

"Okay, fine, fine! I'll stay! Just put that thing away!" _Mew, that was close. She still has that temper…_ His thoughts were abruptly caught off by a burst of laughter from Pikachu. "_Now what?"_ For some reason, he felt like he shouldn't have asked that…

"_Look at you! The high and mighty Envoy of the Phoenix, sacred guardian of Ho-oh's soul, destroyer of Team Rocket, cowering to a 'scrawny redhead'!" _

"…_Shut up…"_

end of chapter 2

* * *

Oooh, looks like our mystery man has been cornered. How long can he keep his secret from them? Find out in the next chapter:)


	4. Chapter 3: Back Home

Huh, I'm starting to wonder where everyone is...there's only one review for chapter 2...I feel so lonely...sniff

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I do not own Pokemon. That doesn't stop me from toying with the characters, however...smirks

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A Whisper in the Wind

**Chapter 3**

He may have agreed to come with them, but that didn't mean he had to be with them. Actually, it meant that he _had_ to avoid them. He couldn't get close to his…former friends. Mew, it hurt him to think that he could no longer consider them friends, but he had kept this façade up for ten years. He couldn't let it drop now…especially when the danger loomed even closer than it ever had. If he ever put them into harm's way…

Ash tilted his head up to the sky to keep the tears at bay. Riding on Swellow, he felt the cool gusts of the night sky caress his weary features and let himself just get carried away…

His hood dropped down and his cape whipped open as he faced the gentle winds, but Ash didn't really care, the hood wasn't necessary. He always loved to do this whenever he got the chance, it was really the only time he had to relax. It was a time when he could just drop all his burdens, his fears, his sorrow, his stress…he could just let his soul whisk away for a bit and feel nothing. Just blissful, gentle nothingness. It was during those times when he could reassure his friends-or friend, he guessed, since she was the only one that noticed-that he was still there. Just a little whisper in the wind, barely audible, nothing that could be proven to be true…but the words said could mean so much…even if it was just a fleeting moment.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Misty's expression change slightly, as if she had just heard something she had been yearning to hear for ages. A small smile crossed his face.

_Did you hear me that time, Mist?

* * *

_

Misty snapped to attention abruptly after hearing something extremely faint…but familiar. The feathers of the Pidgeot she and her friends had been riding were extremely soft, she had just about fallen asleep…when she heard it.

_Mist…_

It had been forever since she had heard that voice, and she enjoyed the sound, turning it over and over in her mind until it was perfectly preserved. The sheer joy from hearing the voice, coupled with the tiring events of the night along with the soft downy feathers of the Pidgeot carrying her, made one very tired Misterrea Waterflower. Succumbing to sweet sleep, she rested better than she had in ages.

* * *

Groggy eyes opened, revealing the dank, dim light of a cave. Misty had awoken to find herself and her friends on the back of a massive Pidgeot, who had been resting in a cave. _So it wasn't a dream after all…_ Looking over to her right side, she noticed something that made tears of laughter come to her eyes.

Satoshi, their savior, was sprawled across the back of his Swellow, apparently snoring. From what she had seen of him, he seemed to be the calm, cool, collected type, always serious, never showing emotion. Yet here he was, disheveled and messy, his mask seen through. This was the real Satoshi, no doubt, in his moment of weakness. His hood was down, letting Misty observe his face.

Or maybe not. Almost every inch of skin was covered. The lower half of his face was hidden by a black half-mask (think of Kakashi from _Naruto_). Dark sunglasses that would have shielded his eyes were laying haphazardly on his face, leaving only one eye covered. His forehead was covered with long locks of hair, whose color made Misty start in surprise. They were a deep raven black.

Upon seeing the color of his hair, her attention shifted to the exposed eye, still closed in slumber. _If…if that's him…then his eyes…_ She slowly moved her hand towards the eye, intent on prying it open and seeing the warm chocolate brown she had missed for so long. If it was him, she would seriously hurt him for hiding away from her for so long, then demand an explanation from his bruised, battered body. Then she would pummel him again for having what sorry excuse he had said. Her hand got closer, closer…

His eye twitched. She quickly pulled her hand back, afraid that she woke him up. A soft mumble escaped from his lips as he began to stir. Misty watched him closely, trying to see if she could get a glimpse of his eyes. No such luck. As if on instinct, his hand flew to his glasses, setting them straight, before stretching up to assume the familiar position known as the yawn. The others got up as well, and soon, all of them were gathered around a small fire, eating a meal of berries that "Satoshi" had gathered.

Ash felt almost at home, it was just as it used to be, just him and his friends, sitting, eating, laughing. Well, he was isolating himself from it, keeping silent, but these weren't the old times anymore. He wasn't part of their lives anymore, nor were they are part of his. As far as he was concerned, they couldn't be friends, so he might as well play the role of "Satoshi" for as long as he was here.

"So…uh…I never got to know your names…"

Everyone was startled. This was the first time Satoshi had talked to them during the whole day, and what he said was quite unexpected.

"You looked pretty eager to get out of here. Why do you want to know our names now?" asked Rudy, who was still unsettled from the unexpected interruption from the cloaked stranger.

"I figure, as long as I'm held captive here by Miss Hothead over there-" he jabbed a thumb in Misty's direction. "-I might as well know my jailers." The next second, everybody sweatdropped as something large and wooden came in contact with his head, making him fall to the floor.

Misty pocketed her mallet with an angry glare, then proceeded to introduce herself. "I'm Misterrea Waterflower, the leader of Cerulean Gym, but you can call me Misty." "Satoshi" almost didn't hear her, as he was rubbing his head in the spot where Misty had hit him while shooting a death glare over at the laughing Pikachu sitting next to him.

"Crazy redhead…" he muttered.

"What was that?!" questioned Misty, the mallet appearing once more.

"Nothing, nothing!" Ash was waving his hands back and forth in panic, his mask was hiding a very scared expression.

"Thought so," she commented coolly, withdrawing the mallet. Pikachu started laughing again.

"_Oh, that had to hurt, didn't it?"_

"_Like you would know. You're not the one who got smashed by a two-ton block of wood."_

"_It's not easy being the target of her affection, is it, Ash?" _More laughter.

"…_Shut up."

* * *

_

Since the gang was so close to their destination, Pidgeot and Swellow were having a good long rest in their Pokeballs. Walking together in a pack, the six trainers-plus a Pikachu-strode into Pallet Town.

People kept gawking at them, some because of the reappearance of the missing trainers, and some because trainers never really came to Pallet Town. Mostly, however, they were staring at the young man cloaked in shadow and the Pikachu who seemed to be the exact opposite of its trainer. Ash cringed at all the attention he was receiving, he hadn't walked straight into a town in broad daylight for ten years. With his only friends being Pokemon, and with danger looming over his head, being in a town wasn't the best thing for him. All the worries and fears he had lost in the night sky returned, and with a vengeance.

_I have to get out of here. The longer I stay, the harder it will be to leave. But how do I get out of this?_

Ash was startled out of his thoughts by a very familiar sound. "Mime mime, Mr. Mime!"

_Mimey? Oh no, don't tell me…_

His fear was affirmed when he realized they were standing at the doorstep of his old house. The door had opened to reveal a Mr. Mime, dressed in a green apron and carrying a broom. It looked a little older from the last time he had seen it, but then again, it had been ten years. He just hoped his mom wouldn't recognize him. Mr. Mime welcomed them inside, stepping aside to let them pass. Ash paused at the door, wondering if he should step inside or get away now when he had the chance, but his guilt won him over, with the help of some unforgotten feelings…

Ash sat as far away from the light as possible, trying to keep himself hidden. It didn't work, as everyone (including Pikachu, what a surprise) was dragging him to the sofa just mere seconds later. In the midst of this struggle, Delia Ketchum appeared, looking slightly perplexed at the situation, but cheerful nonetheless.

After Ash finally gave in and sat on the sofa (_"Traitor,"_ he had mumbled to Pikachu, who replied with a cheeky grin), he observed his mother. Gray had started to line her auburn hair, but it was barely noticeable. A small wrinkle here and there, and her usual cheery blue eyes looked a bit dull. Ash immediately regretted not being there to take care of her, or to give her joy, it was apparent that she had still not gotten over his loss entirely. As he finished his observations, he noticed her staring at him.

"You know, you remind me of my son…" Ash immediately froze up, ready to teleport at a second's notice. "But I think it's because of the Pikachu. What did they say your name was, dear?"

Ash relaxed, then quickly reassured himself. "Satoshi, mo…ma'am." _That was close!_

Delia chuckled. "No need to call me that, dearie. Just call me Delia."

Ash smiled. "O-ok, Delia."

Now that Brock had access to kitchen supplies and ingredients, he was now able to cook up a storm (thank goodness his skills didn't get rusty), and soon, everybody was eating Brock's creations enthusiastically, especially Ash. When questioned about his appetite, he simply said that he had never tasted food like this for ages, he had been living among the Pokemon for years, after all.

After the dinner, Ash withdrew to the shadows of his old room, everybody had insisted that he sleep there for some reason. It was probably because they were starting to see the resemblance between him and his former self…but he could not let them see who he really was. He had to leave. And yet, he couldn't… He reflected on the increasing hopelessness of his situation as he gently laid the slumbering Pikachu on the bed.

His heart had a gaping hole in it. It had always been there, since his departure ten years ago, but he had always covered it up, patched it, sewn it together. But now, it was tearing open once more, mouth open wide, ready to swallow him into the never-ending world of darkness and despair.

He needed to be alone…

* * *

Misty had been walking outside, simply enjoying the scenery and the exhilarating sensation of being free. However, no matter how much she delved into the joys of liberation, the mystery that was Satoshi kept tugging at her. Right now, he seemed to be the only person alive who could be linked with Ash. Trying to distract her thoughts, she looked around…and her eyes fell on the silhouette of a person sitting by Pallet Lake.

As she walked closer, she saw a mass of black, huddled together, hiding the person inside. It was Satoshi's cape. What was he doing here? Sitting down next to him, she asked him that very question.

He almost jumped at the sound of her voice, it was pretty apparent that he was not expecting her. Uncurling himself, he leaned back on his arms and mumbled that he was "just thinking". Misty didn't really have anything to say, so she simply stared out at the lake, her eyes reflecting the light until they appeared like liquid spheres, capturing the water and holding it there to shimmer in the sun. Ash noticed this and remembered, she only did this if she was upset. He asked her what was wrong.

Misty was startled. The kindness in Satoshi's voice was the only emotion he had ever shown (aside from fear from her mallet), and it moved her. Before she knew it, her emotions were spilling out, laid out for all to see.

"It…it all started when h-he disappeared…"

"He?"

"Ash. He had just become the Pokemon Master ten years ago, and all of his friends, including me, had been there to support him. Then during the night, he vanished. I was g-going to tell him…"

"…Tell him what?"

Misty paused. She had never told anybody before. But for some reason, telling Satoshi seemed to be the right thing to do…

"Tell him that…I loved him. I always had. Ever since I first fished him out of that lake… I should had told him earlier…but I was afraid. He never seemed to understand love, and I was always arguing with him anyway…what if he rejected? I was so afraid…then…when I was ready t-to tell him…he was gone…Gone."

Misty was crying heavily now, her breath coming out in short gasps. Her face was cupped in her hands, her body was shaking and twitching. Ash desperately wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and comfort her…but he kept himself at bay. He had to let go of those feelings, he couldn't be close…but Mew, it was so hard…

"B-but w-why am I telling y-you? Y-you wouldn't und-derst-tand…"

Ash smiled grimly. "I know more than you think."

Misty raised her head in surprise. Satoshi, emotionless, cold, secretive, a loner…understood love?

Ash continued his story. "I guess it was a love at first sight thing. I was too young and naïve to understand it at first, and as I got older, I thought it was just a crush. But as the years went on, I saw her bloom into the most gorgeous flower I had ever seen."

_Gorgeous Waterflower, to be exact._

Misty listened on, this story was drawing her in.

"I was always afraid to tell her how I felt, because she was always picking on me. But I hid my fear by focusing only on the dream I had started out with. I always wanted to come closer, to let her in my heart, to hold her, and to always protect her…but…I always shied away every time I got close, too scared to try, even though I knew I might lose her forever…but why am I saying this?"

Misty was startled at the abrupt change in his voice. It had been soft, fluent, caring…and suddenly turned brittle and hard, and filled with despair.

"I cannot love anymore. I can't get close to anybody. It will only bring pain to everyone. Oh Mew, if anybody saw what I've become…and the hard part is…that this wasn't forced upon me. I could have chosen not to go along. I could have chosen a different path. But this was the path I chose, and the one that I must forever tread…I can't change my course. I've gone too far…and I can't stop. That's what makes it so hard…"

Misty saw a sparkle on the edge of his dark sunglasses. As it trickled down, a single speck of crystalline liquid, leaving a shimmering trail behind, she realized…he was crying. Satoshi truly was at an all-time low, he was the last person she would have expected to see in tears. He surprised her once more by standing up abruptly.

"I'm sorry. I've told you too much. I-I have to go!"

And before she could stop him, he ran off into the dark woods nearby. She cried out after him, but he had long disappeared into the shadows of the forest…

Thunder crackled in the sky. Sheets of water suddenly came pouring down, soaking Misty to the bone, but she didn't notice. She was too caught up in her thoughts. Running back to the Ketchum house, she put a hand to her cheek. It was sopping wet, though with rain or tears, she could not tell.

Perhaps it was both.

end of chapter 3

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Ooh, sooo close, but the chance just slipped away, eh? Things are starting to get a lot more confusing for Ash, but you'll have to wait for the next chappie to see what happens...


	5. Chapter 4: A Sad Surprise

**(A/N):** Alright, more reviews! That's more like it! Now, I am satisfied. Presenting...Chapter 4!

**Disclaimer: **I was not, am not, and will never be the owner of Pokemon. I think I covered all my bases there.

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A Whisper in the Wind

**Chapter 4**

She was dead tired. Exhausted. She couldn't take much more of this. Her mind wouldn't get off of Ash and, strangely, Satoshi. He was a living enigma if she ever saw one. That meeting by the lake was even more unexpected. She came to him expecting answers, and instead got more questions. Every time she thought she had an answer, something else popped up and led her off the path. What did it mean? Why…why was he this way?

She was too tired to think about it anymore. Coming to the bed, she collapsed on top of it and fell into a deep sleep, sopping wet clothes and all.

* * *

"Misty…"

She mumbled out a reply, it was too muffled to hear due to her head being half buried in the sheets, but one could make out something close to "Mommanuuiiidonwannagotoooskeewlllll…"

"Misty, come on, this is important!"

"Nuuu…five more minutes…" She jumped up as a small electric bolt zapped her foot.

A crashing sound could be heard for miles, followed by an echoing scream of pain. "FOR MEW'S SAKE, WOMAN! YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIT SO HARD!!!"

Pikachu was rubbing his little furry head where a huge lump had appeared. Misty, who had been standing behind him, was now fully awake and had a truly frightening look on her face. That, however, was not as intimidating as the large wooden mallet raised above her head, ready to come down again. Pikachu's crystal eyes widened in terror as it came down and quickly yelped out the words, "It's about Satoshi! Something's wrong!"

The mallet stopped inches from his face. Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief as the wooden menace slowly withdrew. The redhead's red face slowly paled, returning to its original color. "What's wrong?"

"He's weakened."

"What? How?"

"Because of the force trapped within him, he has gained its strengths, but also its weaknesses. This force happens to have a weakness for water."

"Water?"

"Yes, but its not as bad as it seems. Satoshi and this force both have very high stamina, and a simple small rainstorm can't hurt them. But a storm like the one last night can leave them disoriented and confused if they don't protect themselves. Even a storm like that can be blocked by their weakest shield-"

"Then why are you worried? How do you know he's weakened? He could just block it-"

"Let me ask you this. Ever since after the Team Rocket incident, have you ever seen either of us use our powers?"

"N-no, but,"

"Exactly! He's afraid. He'll never use his abilities if he's in or near human society unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm connected with him. I can sense his weakness, his doubts, his fears, his thoughts…"

"B-but…he was far away from us, right? Why didn't he use his powers?"

Pikachu looked directly at her, his crystal eyes boring into her sea-green ones. "The conversation at the lake last night."

"You…you saw?"

"Yes. He's worrying about that right now. He's afraid that he's gotten to close to everyone here, to _you_. Add that in with his current state of confusion and weakness…"

Misty sank to the floor, sitting on her knees.

* * *

"Satoshi!"

"Where are you?"

"Come out of hiding!"

Misty and Pikachu had reported everything to their friends (conveniently leaving out the lakeside conversation), and now everybody was combing through the forest, searching for the shadow-cloaked trainer. They had been searching for the better part of an hour, and Pikachu said that he could still feel Satoshi's energy, but it seemed as if he was drifting in and out of consciousness, barely holding onto reality itself. As a side note, to Misty only, he added that the conversation last night must have really shaken him to make him act this reckless.

Now Misty was alone, and plagued with guilt. She was the one who chased him away, she just knew it. Walking through the wet foliage, she called out his name, thinking that he would probably run away if he heard her voice anyway. Getting tired, she sat on a large rock and began to think things over.

_Ash…Satoshi…why can't I get either of you out of my mind? Are you still out there? Are you still here…with me?_

She was jolted out of her thoughts from a scuffling sound, almost as if it was someone dragging their feet along the ground. She tensed up, and reached her hand for the Pokeballs around her waist, clutching them tightly, ready to release one to battle at a moment's notice. A dark shadow clambered into view, dripping wet and looking very exhausted. Coming close to a tree, an arm wrapped in bandages extended out of the shadowy cloak, the hand attached to it covered in a black fingerless glove. Pressing the hand against the tree, the cloaked figure gasped for breath, before looking up and noticing Misty. Leaving the tree, it came closer to her, its hood fallen back. Misty's eyes met a pair of dark sunglasses masking the figure's eyes, but was close enough to see through them faintly. She wasn't able to make out the color, but she could see them widened in shock and despair.

"Mist…" mumbled Satoshi as his body began to fall forward. Misty caught him before he touched the ground.

* * *

Everyone was relieved that Satoshi was found and returned, although some of them wondered why he was so distressed and careless. Misty wouldn't say anything about it, and instead took to shooting him looks once in a while, alternating between worried stares and killer glares. She was still pondering about why he had called her "Mist" when only Ash had ever called her that, but she reasoned that he was too tired to complete her name.

Ash was sitting in front of the fireplace, desperately trying to warm himself by covering himself in his cloak. Normally, that would have worked, and it did, but only a little. His clothes were still dripping wet, and huddling them closer to him did little to help drying them off. Delia was trying to convince him to take a warm shower and to get dressed into some different clothes, but he was refusing vehemently. This was the first time that her motherliness had failed to get someone to do something for the better, but Satoshi never seemed to be affected by emotion. Misty knew otherwise.

Finally getting exasperated with him, Misty walked up to him and began demanding that he listen to Delia, or he would get ill. Again, Ash refused, but when he caught the death glare that could only lead to one result, he hurriedly changed his mind, sighing in relief as the glare faded. He had avoided the wooden menace this time.

Rudy glared at this little scene. This new person reminded him too much of Ash, heck, he even interacted with Misty the same way Ash did. Rudy thought Misty's love was lost to him as soon as Ash appeared, and when he disappeared, he thought that maybe that was his chance. Doing nothing at first in respect for Misty's disappointment, he was ready to try for her love once more, then she got captured by Team Rocket. Not believing that he would see her again, he was surprised when they threw him in the same cell as her. But even then, she still seemed to be depressed and pessimistic, and even when she felt okay to talk, she barely paid attention to him and talked to her other friends instead. Now that they were out, he could have had another chance, she was so happy nowadays, but then that…that…Ash clone had to show up.

He had to make his move, and soon, or she might be lost to him forever.

* * *

Ash had stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of striped pajamas. He still wore his facemask and sunglasses, which looked rather strange and maybe even hilarious with the colorful pajamas. The others stared oddly at him, but he just muttered to them to "get off his case". The voice he used was so cold and bone-chilling that even Misty didn't want to stand up to him. Looking around for his usual black garb, he inquired where it was. Delia answered that she had washed it for him, his Pokeballs had been laid out on a table in the kitchen. Everybody was amazed at the amount he had on him, and asked where he had gotten them all. He shrugged it off and simply mumbled the words, "oh, here and there."

Everybody had planned to go out that day, but "Satoshi" refused to go anywhere until his clothes were dried out and he could dress in them, after 10 years of wearing and repairing them, he didn't really feel comfortable in anything else. After thinking it over a bit, they seemed to find it reasonable, he looked strange to them when not wearing his usual pitch black outfit. When he was finally reunited with his clothing, the group headed to Old Oak's lab, who was now run by Professor Oak Jr., more commonly known as Gary.

Gary had also seen the likeness between Ash and "Satoshi", and was awestruck from the vivid appearance of Pikachu. The little rodent, unlike Ash, was actually enjoying the attention.

When questioned about where Professor Oak Sr. was, Gary and Delia's eyes dulled and filled with tears. There was no questioned about it, Professor Oak had passed away, only six months ago according to Gary. Ash was filled with a deep sadness that the man he had accepted as family was gone, and he was filled with a sense of guilt, not unlike the guilt that had plagued him yesterday after seeing his mother. The others began to feel depressed as well, they had not heard of Professor Oak's death either, and all were upset. "He was very outspoken against Team Rocket, all the way to the end…" murmured Gary.

"It's such a shame that he couldn't meet Satoshi. After all, he was the one who destroyed the main Rocket base," commented Misty.

"You did that? I heard about the incident, but it said the person who did it vanished out of sight every time a newspaper reporter or a police officer came near him. I-I can't believe it…" Gary shook his head. "So, what brings you here, besides a friendly reunion?"

"We were going to tell Satoshi about Ash, since they seem to be so alike. The best place to start would most likely be here, since this is where he started his journey," explained Delia.

"I see, but you know that none of his old Pokemon are here anymore, right?"

"Yes, but still…"

"What happened to them?" interrupted "Satoshi".

"Well, about a week after Ash vanished, all of his Pokeballs disappeared as well. Or almost all of them. Twenty-nine of the Tauros he caught were left behind, but the one taken was the one he used in all his battles. When we tried to track them down, their Pokedex signal was useless since it was disabled on the night of Ash's disappearance. We released the remaining Tauros after one year of waiting." Gary replied.

"Hmm…"

"Oh, wait honey, I remembered something that would help us out even more. It's a secret Ash used to keep from everybody. I still have the key to it." Delia commented.

"Oh?" Everyone's interest was piqued, including Ash, who knew exactly what she was talking about.

* * *

Delia had led everybody (including Gary) to Ash's room, and walked to a door. "You noticed that Ash never opened this door around anybody, right?"

"Now that I think about it, yes," marveled Misty. First Satoshi was hiding things from her, then she finds out that Ash was hiding something as well. What would happen next?

Delia stuck the key in the lock and turned. The room was nothing more than a walk in closet. It was what was inside that made everyone gasp.

"Wooden carvings. One of each person and Pokemon Ash had ever met on his journey."

Everybody wandered inside, picking up a carving and stroking it. "I've never seen craftsmanship like this before!" exclaimed Brock. "Ash made these?"

"Each and every one," explained Delia, who was feeling a small bubble of pride swell in herself, hearing everybody compliment her son.

Misty had picked up her wooden counterpart, it was extremely well detailed, all the way down to the wrinkles in her shirt. This one seemed to be carved with special care and attention. Stroking it, she thought of Ash, and where he could be.

_Ash, I hope you're alright…

* * *

_

Everyone had sat down to dinner, except for Rudy, who had mysteriously vanished. They wondered where he was, but he reappeared ten minutes into the dinner, saying that he had gone for a walk to clear his head. Everyone seemed to buy this explanation, after all, many mind-boggling things had happened since Satoshi had joined the gang. It actually seemed like he had become one of them too, he was actually laughing and joking with the rest of them.

After dinner, Ash had retreated to the wall and was now leaning against it, staring out of the window. All sorts of thoughts had flooded his mind. _Did I go too far? Am I getting too close? This is the first time I've laughed with other humans for ages, and it felt great…especially since one of them was Mist…_

"_You're blushing," _interrupted Pikachu, who had been listening in on his thoughts.

"_You do know how much I hate that, right?"_

"_Yup."_ A cheeky grin followed that statement.

"…_You're crazy."_

"_I'm not the one who's crazy for a certain redhead…"_

"…_Shut up…"_

Their little mental brawl was interrupted by a gasp from everybody at the dining table. Looking over, Ash began to feel a sick feeling in his stomach. Rudy was down on one knee, holding up a small black box that was open, revealing a bright diamond gem. The luster of the gem was so brilliant that only the crystal color of Pikachu's eyes could exceed it. It was pretty obvious that he was proposing marriage. And to whom?

The "scrawny redhead".

Some of the people looked shocked, the others disgusted. Ash? He didn't know how he felt. This wasn't supposed to affect him. Misty and the others were no longer a part of his life, nor was he of theirs. But that conversation at the lake last night…it seemed like it bound him here, no matter how he tried to escape. And no matter how much he tried to suppress them, feelings of rage and despair worked their way to the surface. Ash felt his eyes stinging, and looked up at the ceiling to prevent the tears.

_It's over…Now I can move on…but why do I feel like I shouldn't? I have to…I have to keep treading my chosen path…I can't…I can't stop…but…I can't continue either…What should I do?_

Misty was in shock. Sure, she had imagined this happening, but she imagined a certain raven-haired trainer doing it, not Rudy. She knew that the chances of Ash standing in Rudy's place were slim to none, actually, just none. But there was that one part of her that demanded to not do this, that she would regret it, that she would always be destined for one and only one…

_Mist…_ That voice echoed in her mind, strengthening her resolve. No, it wasn't too late, she could still be with Ash, if only in spirit. Staring around the room, her gaze took in all her friends…and stopped at Satoshi, who seemed to be ignoring the situation. _Jeez, only Satoshi would act like this at something so emotional…_ Watching him, she realized, her mind had put two and two together for ages now, but she was always too scared, worried that she might be wrong. But in this situation, it was now or never, all or nothing.

"I'm sorry, Rudy," she said, backing away. "But I can't." Then to everyone's surprise, she dashed over to where Satoshi was. Ash was caught off guard, and was unable to defend himself quickly enough to stop Misty from ripping off his face mask. Ash quickly tried to hide his face, but it was too late. They had already seen the telltale lightning-shaped birthmarks under his sunglasses.

"I was right!" screamed a triumphant and furious Misty, who then reached for the glasses covering his eyes. She had yearned to see that warm chocolate brown for much too long…

Ash stood still, taking his bearings, wondering what to do. He decided to let Misty remove his glasses and let her and everyone else see what he had become. Maybe then they'd let him be…

Misty stood back in horror, dropping the face mask and sunglasses on the floor with a loud clatter that seemed to echo through the heavy silence. Everyone shied back, truly frightened.

His eyes had used to be a warm chocolate brown, full of emotion, easily read. Anyone could see what he was thinking just by looking at them, they were so expressive. That was what had endeared him to everybody…but he was like that no longer.

The brown had been replaced with an intense black, a deep void that swallowed all emotion and shredded it, bit by bit. The eyes made him seem like he was without feeling, without…a soul. And truly, that was the way he was. Almost soulless, locking away most of it so that it wouldn't interfere with his path.

Pikachu hated those eyes. True, Ash would show emotion from time to time, but that was only if he was away from humans, and sometimes not even then. This Ash was not the Ash that he had come to respect and care for as a friend…a brother. This Ash was a monster. And he hated it. When he had seen Misty again, he thought that maybe she could have helped him, bring the real Ash back…but it now looked like that was impossible.

Misty was thinking the exact same thing. "You're…you're not Ash," she screamed, tears forming in her ocean eyes as she sank to her knees in despair.

Ash chuckled as he picked up the sunglasses and slipped them back on. The laugh was cold and sinister, making shivers run down everyone's spine. Pikachu recoiled from his friend's sudden harsh tone, it was obvious he had been driven to the very edge of despair. "No, no I'm not," he replied, in that same icy tone. He made his way to the door, opening it. Turning back, he said two final words.

"Not anymore." The door slammed behind him, leaving everybody shaken. Misty picked up his discarded facemask and began to sob into it, letting all her tears flow freely.

She really had been too late.

end of chapter 4

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Oooh, is this the end? ...Of course not! Just wait 'till ya see what happens in the next chapter! Will anybody manage to thaw Ash's chilled heart, or is he lost to them forever? Find out in chapter 5!


	6. Chapter 5: Capture!

**(A/N): **Yayzies, more readers and reviewers! Reviewers are what makes me post these chappies, so...the more reviews I get, the more chappies I post! So keep reviewing:)

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**A Whisper in the Wind**

**Chapter 5**

Ash stormed on ahead, letting instinct take over, ignoring the looks from the golden Pikachu by his side. He was in a state of emotional turmoil, he couldn't make heads or tails of where he was going, he just charged forward, trying to get away, he had to get away. _I have to keep going, just move on, it's over, all over…keep treading my path of…eternal solitude, no friends, only my Pokemon, no one else will get close to me, no…never again…never again._

Suddenly his legs gave way, he couldn't continue, his emotions were to heavy to bear. Staring around where he had collapsed to his knees, he cringed, this was Pallet Lake, where he had talked with Misty the night before. Looking up at the starry sky, he contemplated on all that had happened over the past two days, it was too much…just too much. Shifting his attention to the clear blue water, he stared down into its depths before he spied something white float in front of him.

It was a lotus, a perfectly round yellow center surrounded by pure white petals, soft and supple, reaching up, as if trying to grab him. _Waterflower…_

Suddenly a wave of despair seized him, and he plucked the flower out of the water before shredding it to bits, petal by petal, taking each one and ripping it in two, then shredding the stem as well. Incinerating the remains of what had used to be a lotus, he then reached into his pocket and pulled out something pink and soft. It was square shaped, with a decoration of a setting sun in a bright red. It was setting over an ocean represented by blue squiggly lines, as other decorations in yellow were embroidered on the soft pink silk. All this was surrounded by a border of red, the same color of the sun.

Holding it in his hands, he tried to rip it in two, but as much as he strained, he couldn't break it. He pulled and pulled until tears began to sting his eyes, then gave up and began to sob into the handkerchief as Pikachu looked on.

_Oh, Mew, what have I done?

* * *

_

"Misty, please open up!" May was knocking on the door heavily, trying to get a response from the depressed redhead. Nothing.

"Misty! Please, please come out!" Still nothing.

"Come on! Do you really think that Ash would want you to act like this?" Wrong words. Misty did come out, but she had an angry glare in her reddened eyes, and the facemask she held in her hands was dripping with tears.

"What does it matter? Ash is dead. He doesn't exist anymore. There is no Ash left." Her voice was empty, hollow, without her usual energy. The door then slammed into May's face, who then resumed the knocking.

"Misty! Mist-"

"That's enough, May." It was Delia who had spoken. "Let her be. I think we all need some time to ourselves." Delia's eyes were dimmed with tears of her own, she was having a hard time believing what her son had become. They went into the living room, where everyone was sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Everybody either had their head in their hands or were staring up at the sky. They seemed to be okay, but their eyes said otherwise. Rudy seemed to be the worst off.

"You know, I can't seem to shake off the feeling that this is all my fault," he mumbled into his hands.

"In a way, it was, but I don't think any of us could imagined what happened to…Ash…" replied Brock. He still couldn't get over what had happened to him. What happened to that happy-go-lucky, always confident teen he had known? That image just seemed to shatter right before his eyes.

"Yes, but still-"

"Rudy, look. Ash would have probably left us sooner or later, it isn't really your fault that he ran off," Max interrupted, although on the inside he felt like cleaving Rudy's head off.

Rudy was about to protest again, but was interrupted by golden sparks flying through the night sky, interlocked with blood red bursts of energy.

"What the-"

* * *

Misty had been sitting in the darkened confines of Ash's room for what seemed like hours now. She was curled up in a ball on his bed, hugging her knees. Staring listlessly at the drenched facemask beside her, she felt her eyes sting, but no tears came. She had used them all up a long time ago. Reaching out a hand and touching the soft, wet fabric, she began to shake all over as dry sobs wracked her body. _Ash…what happened to you?_

She was startled out of her thoughts as a streak of golden light, followed by blood red sparks crossed her vision.

Everybody was staring out of the window, shock coursing through their bodies as if they had been hit by those sparks as well. They then jumped as Misty practically flew into the room, fear magnified in her sea-green eyes.

"D-did you guys s-see that?" she stuttered. Everyone was shocked that Misty had come out of Ash's room, but that was easily drowned out by the surprise of the dueling sparks. They nodded yes, and at that moment, they heard a faint scratching at the door. Wondering who it was, they all ran to the door, and opened it to reveal a golden-skinned Pikachu with crystal eyes and ruby-red cheeks.

"PIKACHU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

* * *

Pikachu was pretty freaked about what was happening, it took them a while to calm it down. After they finally got it to stop shooting of multicolored sparks, they asked it about Ash, and what was happening. Pikachu responded in a scared and tired voice.

"Well, we were attacked just outside of Pallet Town…"

"What? By who?" asked Max.

Pikachu looked up at him, fear in his eyes. "By…by Giovanni and the remnants of Team Rocket. I saw Butch and Cassidy and Professor Nanba, and even Jessie and James, can you believe it?"

"And…what happened?" questioned Brock.

"They…they had this machine. When Ash got too close, it pulled him towards it and began draining him of his energy. If he tried to fight back, it would drain even more. He told me to teleport out of its range before I got too close as well, since I was smaller I could escape easily. As far as I know, he's still fighting it. Because of what's sealed inside him, he has limitless energy, but he can still be weakened. I came to you guys because I know that you can help."

"And why should we?" came an angry cold voice. Everyone's attention was diverted to Misty, who's head was down, staring at her knees as her fists were embedded in the sofa she was sitting on. "Ash is gone, there's nothing left of him to help. There's nothing left of him." Pikachu bounded over to her and got her to look up. His crystal eyes bore into her sea-green ones, she couldn't look away if she tried.

"Because," he said, mimicking her tone of voice, only his was so full of anger that everyone shrunk away. "Ash is still there. A small part of the Ash you once knew is still clinging on, but just barely. He needs you. He needs your help. He needs you to save him from Team Rocket…and from himself." Just then something in Misty's pocket glowed, she reached in and pulled out a black feather.

"M-Misty? Where did you get that?" questioned Pikachu in surprise.

"This feather blew into my room on the night Ash disappeared. There was another one on his bed when we saw it the next day." replied Misty, who was fingering the feather.

"That's one of Ash's feathers. You can use it to track him down if I ever get separated from you. It can also tell you his physical state, depending how it glows. Since it's glowing with a black light, he's getting weaker, but not too weak." Pikachu explained. "We have to get Ash, now! Is anybody coming?"

"Yes, I am."

"Of course, dear."

"Of course!"

Everybody had stood up except for Misty. She looked at them all, then at the feather.

"Alright. Let's get him back."

* * *

The group ran through the forest, being led by Misty with Pikachu on her shoulder. All of a sudden, Pikachu cringed.

"I can feel the machine, guys, its trying to suck me in as well. I'll need to get inside your backpack , Misty."

"Alright then." Holding the feather in her outstretched palm, she watched it point to the northeast, then start glowing with a larger aura of black. "This isn't good, it looks like he's loosing more energy! We have to hurry!" she screamed to the others."

Ash strained to keep his footing, but the machine kept pulling him closer and closer, feeding off his energy like the parasite that it was. He grimaced as his feet began to slide ever closer…

"Once we have you in our clutches, we can exact our revenge as we see fit," said Giovanni as Ash met his glare with a snarling face.

"ASH!!!"

"M-Mist?" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the redhead and all the others run out of the woods, panting in exhaustion. Pikachu's head was poking out of her backpack, looking at him with a look that clearly said _"Please forgive me."_

The group was appalled to see what machine Giovanni was using to draw Ash into his clutches. A large tank was its base, ebony black and emblazoned with that red "R". It itself was a large satellite dish, striking Ash with a dark red ray, a musty color, the color of freshly shed blood. Ash was cringing, he had shielded himself with large black feathery wings that had somehow emerged from just underneath his shoulder blades, but he was still being pulled towards it against his will. His bandages were torn, they had fallen off to reveal an intricate pattern of golden light engraved on his tanned skin, glowing fiercely. The pattern had seemed to spread even farther and had now reached his neck, as he strained even more. His body was going under too much strain, it needed more energy, and out of reflex, his body tapped in for more of Ho-oh's power, the pattern inched forward ever so slightly…and the machine struck, draining his energy at an even faster rate. Ash tried to fire a golden light at the machine, but it was futile, the dish absorbed it and converted it into that deadly blood-red energy.

Firing back at the struggling trainer, it hit him straight in the chest head on, and caused him to lose his footing for a split second.

That was all the machine needed. Ash rose off the ground and was dragged straight into the dish, which disappeared into the tank and was replaced with a spherical force field, colored in the shade of blood. Ash struggled to get out of the force field, but his attack was rebounded on him once more, leaving him tired and exhausted. Everybody cried out his name and rushed forward, only to be stopped by another spherical force field, effectively shutting them out. Ash then succumbed to despair, sinking down onto his knees and leaning his head against the force field. This is what he wanted to prevent, he didn't want the others to get involved in this, he didn't want them getting hurt…

He noticed the sun beginning to rise over the horizon, and freaked, if the sunlight hit him in this form, Team Rocket would have full knowledge of what they held in their clutches. He quickly tried to retract his wings, but the force field prevented him from doing so, it would only allow the energy to increase. He tried desperately to hide them in his cloak…

A beam of sunlight struck his left wing. Immediately, the blackness began to melt off his wings like ice cream on a sunny day, as the others watched in amazement. The same happened to the black feather in Misty's hand, it receded until the feather's true colors were revealed. No longer a deep jet black like the night sky, it was now a beautiful crimson color, decorated with gold. "No…way…" whispered Misty.

"Th-that's a R-Rainbow Wing!" yelped Max in surprise, and as they looked at Ash's wings, they gasped. His wings were Ho-oh wings.

Ash buried his face in his hands. They knew, they all knew, and now Team Rocket could use his powers as they saw fit…and it was all his fault, he put his friends in danger, they would get hurt, no, everyone in the world would get hurt if Team Rocket ever found out how to manipulate his endless and powerful energy…and it was all his fault… He couldn't let this happen! He tried to fight the force field once more, but instead, it began draining him of his energy once more. This pain was even more intense than last time, even Ho-oh could feel it, and they did the only thing they could.

They screamed.

It was a horrible sound, it was so full of pain and suffering that it hurt just to feel the vibrations. It was a medley of anguish and torment, guilt and despair, distress and sorrow. Ash's screams melded together with Ho-oh's screeches, creating a strange mix, it was Ash's voice, but it sounded horribly mutated, it seemed to be closer to an eagle or falcon's cry than to one of a human. But it was still in pain, and it never seemed to end. Tears were streaming down his face, not only because the pain was so intense, but because he was trying to apologize to his friends for letting them get involved in this, for causing them unnecessary pain.

They understood, and they tried to break free of their own prison, banging on the shield, crying tears of their own.

And through all this, Giovanni smiled. It was an evil smirk, as if he lived off the pain and suffering the same way the machine lived off of Ash's boundless energy. His grin grew even wider as the machine finished its feeding and Ash dropped to the bottom of the force field, his breath coming out in long, drawn-out gasps, trying to welcome air back into his lungs. But his lungs were becoming weak, and the incoming air cut them, causing his eyes to water as he tried to steady himself. Giovanni walked up to his helpless captive, smirking widely. "So, I capture the one who felled Team Rocket once more, only to discover he is the very same person that destroyed it the first time. Then I find out that he is the vessel of the creature that I have been hunting for so long. How much sweeter can this get? I shall gain the power I deserve, and exact my revenge on you, Mr. Pokemon Master." He spat out the last two words in utter disgust, it was obvious that things were still bitter between the two. Ash glared at him, his void-black eyes were deeper than ever before, killer intent easily seen. Giovanni was hardly fazed however, and let loose a maniacal laugh before him and his grunts made their way into the tank.

Ash glanced back at his friends, his eyes suddenly becoming their previous shade of warm chocolate brown as they filled with tears, before he buried his head in his hands once more. As the tank disappeared out of sight, and the force field surrounding Misty and the others vanished with it, they realized what he was trying to say.

_Please, please forgive me…_

end of chapter 5

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Well, it was bound to happen. Ash has been captured. Can his friends set him free before it's too late? We'll see in chapter 6:)


	7. Chapter 6: Death and Darkness

**(A/N):** Ah, I see everybody is enjoying the way the story is going so far. Good, good...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon.

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**A Whisper in the Wind**

**Chapter 6**

Misty and the others rushed through the forest, desperately trying to catch up with the tank, but to no avail. The vehicle had too much of a head-start before the barrier disappeared, and Ash's signal was getting weaker and harder to follow with every passing minute. They didn't even know what Giovanni wanted with Ash and Ho-oh. The situation just seemed hopeless to Misty.

_But we've gotten through hopeless situations before, right? Only…Ash always seems to be the one who sets things right. Now, he's the one in need of help…Oh, Ash, hang on, please…

* * *

_

He was so exhausted…drained…ugh, it took forever just to lift a finger. Being constantly sapped of your strength was no picnic, that was for sure. It was pointless to fight back or raise his power, that would just cause him to get even more hurt. But he couldn't just sit here and do nothing…no, that wasn't his way. Then again, when had he been acting like himself these days? A small, emotionless chuckle escaped his lips at that thought, he was only a shell of his former self. All his hopes, dreams, ideals…they had vanished in a flurry of crimson and gold, never to be seen again.

He winced as his body self consciously tapped into more of Ho-oh's power, causing the machine to suck his energy at a higher rate. He wished he could stop it all, but it was hopeless, he was stuck. The machine would constantly suck his energy, draining him until his body could take no more, then it would reflexively raise his energy levels, causing the pattern to spread over more of his body. If the machine sensed more energy, it would start draining him at a faster rate, letting the process begin anew. He was stuck in a cycle of torture and pain, and there was nothing he could do to stop it…until the pattern completely covered his whole body. Then he would be at the peak of power…but his body would no longer be able to handle the constant drainage. That would leave him weak, in perfect condition to be used for whatever Giovanni had planned…but what was he planning?

_Please, Misty, if you know what's best for you, please, stay away…oh, who am I kidding? That redhead is too stubborn for her own good…_

Strangely, there was a small part of him who was happy about that.

* * *

"Alright everybody, looks like it's time for the good ol' Pika Illusion."

The group were hiding in a clump of bushes just outside a Rocket Base. This one looked like it was a top secret lab, seeing that it was in a remote location, among the trees of the forest surrounding Pallet.

"What are you talking about, Pikachu?" questioned Max.

"Look at your hands." Max did so and almost screamed, quickly biting his tongue before he could do so. He couldn't see his body!

"It's a little trick Ash and I can do. Creating illusions is one of our specialties when it comes to sneaking into places. From now on, I'll be talking to you mentally. If you want to respond back, just direct your thoughts towards me. Got it?" Everyone hesitated for a bit, then nodded slowly. _"Good." _How Pikachu could see them nod, they would never know. _"Listen, they've confiscated Ash's Pokemon, and are holding them in a storage room. Normally, they would be performing tests on them, but due to their unknown power levels, they are keeping them out of the way until their initial objective is complete."_

"_And what is this 'initial objective' you're talking about?" _questioned Misty, who dreaded the answer.

"_Most likely something to do with Ash and his…feathery friend."_

"_Why did I see that coming?"_

Ignoring Misty's interruption, Pikachu continued. _"I can also sense…something else. Something that…just doesn't seem right."_

"_W-what do you mean, Pikachu?" _asked May, who was starting to tremble.

"_I…I don't know. All I can feel is pure evil energy. We have to get Ash out of there before they do whatever they're planning to do! I just know it has something to do with that evil energy. I just know it!"_ Everybody froze at that statement, fearing the worst. Pikachu, who was watching the door closely, waited and waited, for the perfect moment to sneak in.

"_Now, guys. Now!"

* * *

_

"_Pokeballs secure?"_

"_Yup Pikachu, got them."_

"_Good job, Brock. Illusion up!" _Pikachu cast it's spell, making imaginary Pokeballs appear in the empty slots where Ash's Pokeballs used to be. _"Now I just have to delete that security camera footage…"_ Pikachu ran up the wall, and sent a small spark into the camera, causing it to short-circuit for a few seconds before returning back to normal. _"Quick, we have to get to Ash!"

* * *

_

Ash winced as the pattern inched farther and farther up his skin. It had already covered nearly his whole face, all it needed to do was connect with his eyes…then Giovanni could do whatever he was planning to do. Something wasn't right about that guy, last time Ash had a run in with him, he wasn't nearly as evil as he was now. There was something else at work here, something more…wicked. There was no trace of good in this…force or whatever it was. He knew that Giovanni was just a puppet. Whatever it was, it was preying on Giovanni's desires to get its way. The question was…who was controlling the strings?

His thoughts were interrupted by a crashing sound from the door, followed by a mixture of voices.

"It's Ash!"

"There he is!"

"Quick, we have to get him out of here!"

"G-guys?! You have to leave here, right now!" he cried out to them. His pleas fell on deaf ears. Everybody except one person had gone to the machines, trying to find a release code to free Ash from his clutches. Misty, on the other hand, had walked straight up to Ash to try and beat some sense into him.

"Ash, do you really think we would leave you behind after all we've been through?"

"You don't understand. Giovanni's not the one behind this. He's being manipulated! There's something bigger at work here, something that could destroy us all!"

"So what? You're our friend, Ash. We can't just leave you here!"

Ash chuckled at that last statement, and his eyes reverted back to the deep, emotionless void, scaring Misty. "I don't understand. Why would you want to save someone…who's already dead?"

"I…I don't know what you mean…what do you mean by…'dead'?"

"Misty, I've been dead for the last ten years."

"W-what?"

"My body was unable to handle the power of Ho-oh's spirit when it first entered it, all of its systems were overloaded, because it was too much to handle. The only reason I am still able to walk and talk is because Ho-oh sends its power through my corpse and constantly regenerates it. In reality, I'm just…one of the living dead. Once Ho-oh leaves, I will no longer be able to 'live' the way I am now.

"My spirit has locked itself away, so that I won't endanger anybody close to me. If Giovanni or whatever else is after me found out about my…former friends…they would destroy them all to get to me. I couldn't let that happen.

"So what you see now is only a shell of what I used to be. There is no me left, Mist."

Misty almost fell apart, but remembering what Pikachu had told her, she quickly pulled herself back together. "That's nonsense! You're still in there, Ash, and I'm going to find you if it's the last thing I do!"

Ash smiled to himself and muttered, "Same stubborn redhead…"

"WHAT?!"

"Nothing, nothing…" Leaning back and relaxing against the blood-red shield, he winced as the machine sapped away the rest of his energy, causing the pattern to advance further…and complete itself.

Ash was now at the peak of power, which meant that the machine could now strike him with its hardest shot. And it did.

This pain was much worse than the others. It felt like white-hot knives were constantly piercing his skin, stabbing him and then pulling themselves out. With every knife pulled out, it took a piece of his energy with it. It was as if his whole body was being torn apart, bit by bit, just like the way he had shredded the lotus at the lakeside. Salty tears cascaded down his face, stinging his wounds and making more pain, which caused more tears. The pain wouldn't stop, he couldn't stop it, he felt so helpless, and full of sorrow. _Please…stop, just make it all stop, just disappear…_ His eyes turned onto his friends, who had similar looks on their faces as they tried their best to stop the machine…and then he saw Misty. Her eyes seemed to pierce through his sorrow and calm him…and yet agitate him at the same time. He couldn't let her be here, she had to get away, just get away, before she had to go through the same thing. _Please, Mist, just leave, get out, get away, please…_

Those were his last thoughts before everything went black.

* * *

Misty cried out Ash's name as he slumped against the field and ceased to struggle. She tried to get to him, but at that moment, metal bars suddenly surrounded her and her friends, trapping them just inches away from the blood red prison. Pikachu tried to fire an attack at the cage, but it rebounded and struck him, hard. Everybody banged on the cages, trying to wake Ash up, but their efforts were futile.

At that moment, Giovanni, or rather a hologram of Giovanni, appeared in front of them. Now that he was so close, they could see his eyes, they seemed to be glazed over, as if he was not fully there. However, his laugh was still cold and piercing, and it made chills run down everyone's spine.

"Now, that your friend has been restrained, he shall be fit to be used for our needs. By infusing him with the proper energy, he shall become a slave to our cause, just as Mewtwo once was. We were particularly lucky to capture Ho-oh in this form, since he shares the body of a human-"

"-he gains the weakness and limits that a human body has," completed Pikachu in a monotone, still recovering from the near-deadly blow.

"Hmph. So the rat can talk. Maybe we'll put you and your Pokemon kind up for experiments and tests once this program is complete."

"We'll never bow down to you, you scum of the earth!"

Giovanni's hologram chuckled darkly. "We'll see, little rat. We'll see."

The hologram disappeared, and the force field containing Ash started to sink through a hole opening up in the floor, taking Ash with it. The hollering and banging began once more, desperately trying Ash to wake up.

Before he disappeared completely from sight, Misty saw his eyes open and close for a brief instant, and her heart ached at what she saw.

They were a chocolate-brown color, dimmed with salty tears and a plea for forgiveness echoing from their depths.

* * *

Ash's eyes opened to be met with a bright red liquid surrounding his whole body. When he tried to move, he found he couldn't, his muscles seemed to be completely paralyzed from pain, and all his energy seemed to be drained. Needles were piercing his skin here and there, reminding him of the sensation of the force field as it sapped away his energy. These needles were connected to wires, which seemed to be forcing a new energy in his body. This energy was acting like a parasite, it was trying to consume him and leave nothing left behind, it was dark…much too dark.

Going into his mindscape, he came face to face with a dark cloud, teeming with demonic energy. This was the energy he had sensed around Giovanni before, he just knew it! Taking a defensive stance, he faced the cloud. A deep voice emanated from the cloud, chilling, demonic, and laced with malicious intent.

"_**Give up your body to me now, and you will not have to suffer any more pain."**_

"_I would rather die than give up my body to you!"_

"_**So be it, foolish mortal."**_

A struggle ensued, both sides trying to dominate the other, but it was a one-sided fight. Ash was much too weakened to even put up much of a fight, and he was soon enveloped by the dark mist.

At the same time that happened, his heart stopped, his body went limp, and he was left helpless as darkness began to spread through his veins…

end of chapter 6

* * *

So...things aren't looking too good. We'll have to wait until the next chappie to see what happens...


	8. Chapter 7: Possesion

**(A/N): **Ahahahaha, yes! Suffer! Despair! Torture! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

...Oh...it's time to update again? Fine...you all will be relieved...for now...cackles

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

A Whisper in the Wind

Chapter 7

BANG. CRASH. CLATTER.

Those were the sounds of a group of people (and one golden Pikachu) trying to break out of a strong metal cage. Normally, they probably would have gotten out by now. But when the cage actually reflects the damage back at the captive, it's not so easy anymore. Everybody had some bruises and bumps, but Pikachu seemed to be the most exhausted, even though its shiny golden coat wasn't blemished at all. It sat down in a thinking position, its fingers tapping its chin.

"Hmm…I reckon I've got a pretty good idea on how much energy this cage can take."

"What do you mean, Pikachu?" questioned Rudy.

"All those attacks I launched at the cage were test shots. I've been healing myself after each hit, thanks to Ho-oh's extra energy. I've got an idea, but you guys will need to stand back."

"What is it?" asked May.

"If I direct enough energy to my tail and strike the cage bar at its weakest point, I can overload its reflection system. However, my tail will take all the damage as a result. That's not a big deal though, I can heal it. Just stand back." The others complied with his request, standing as far away as possible.

Pikachu's tail began to glow with a white aura. It's ruby red cheeks sparkled with multicolored electricity, which redirected itself into its tail, causing the tail to glow with that same color. It stored more and more energy; Pikachu straining to keep it under control, beads of sweat appearing on its forehead. When he could contain it no longer, he rushed at the cage, jumping up and slamming the bar with all his might. A vivid white light engulfed the area of contact, blinding everybody and forcing them to close their eyes and shield themselves in a futile attempt to block it out. Pikachu was beginning to cringe from the strain, he could feel his tail starting to tear apart. He screeched out in pain, before the force became too much for him and the bar to hold, and a small explosion blew him backwards, slamming him into the other side of the cage. A hole large enough for one person to squeeze through at a time was forced open by the blast. Everybody cheered for Pikachu, before flinching at the sight of his tail.

The top half of it was nearly cut off, hanging limply from the site of the cut. Blood was dripping down the whole tail, it was also scattered across the floor of the cage. Pikachu winced at the pain, it hurt so much, but it disappeared quickly, as the tail began to mend itself. Everybody was almost sickened at the sight of it healing itself, it was rather…gruesome to watch.

Even though Pikachu was healed up, he was still exhausted, so Misty held him in her arms as they squeezed out of the cage and left to find Ash.

* * *

Pikachu was getting more and more worried by the second, he could feel Ash just slipping away, his signal was getting weaker and weaker by the second. The feather was changing too, it was black, but not simply black like the night sky. It was a deep black, blacker than black, just like the empty void that formed the two orbs in Ash's eyes. That couldn't be good. 

The group entered a room, it was quite large, and filled with all sorts of machinery. At first, they thought it was the control room, but upon looking around, it was only a room for experimenting. All sorts of lights were flashing and beeping, the machines holding them were all high-tech. The machines were all focused on regulating…something.

That something was a large cylindrical container, filled with demonic red liquid. Suspended in the liquid was a human shaped figure, due to the poor lighting in the room, it appeared completely black, like a shadow. Pikachu knew that was Ash in there, there was no doubt about it. They had to get him out! Slamming into the container, they were repelled instantly, all except for Pikachu, who was starting to get drawn in.

"Shit! That container is surrounded by the same force field that knocked Ash out!" yelled Pikachu in frustration. "Only this time, it focuses completely on anything _outside_ it! It's targeting me because of my link to Ho-oh!" Misty quickly grabbed onto Pikachu and pulled him away from the field before he passed the point of no return. "It looks like I can't help you get him out…" muttered Pikachu reluctantly. "I'll see if I can find out what they're doing to him, you guys keep trying to break that container. Don't let out any of your Pokemon, they'll get sucked in too." Pikachu dashed off, following the strange black tubes that were inserted into Ash's skin and leading out of the container.

Following the tubes, he found out that they led to a strange orb, it was completely clear, as if it had been drained of all its color. Whatever was in it, it was being forced into Ash's body. And Pikachu felt that it couldn't be good. Tapping the orb gently, he jumped back as it shattered before his very eyes; without that strange energy to support it, it was weak and fragile.

At the same moment the orb shattered, alarms went off, causing everybody to back away and gather in the center of the room, where they were trapped by another cage. Before Pikachu could try and blast it open, a figure clad in an orange suit came into the dimly lit room, standing next to the container holding Ash captive. He spoke to them in a bone-chilling voice, only Ash's emotionless tone could surpass it in terms of coldness.

"I see that you have attempted to retrieve your friend, but it is already too late. The transfusion has been completed, and the possession of his soul is nearly so. He is no longer the Ash you knew before."

"NO! YOU'RE LYING! ASH WOULD NEVER GIVE IN TO THE LIKES OF YOU!!!"

That outburst had come from Misty, who was gripping the cage bars so tightly that her arms had begun to shake. Her aquamarine eyes seemed to be on the verge of tears, they were liquid gems threatening to overflow. Pikachu nudged her leg, she looked down at the golden rodent, feeling a small glimmer of hope.

"PIKACHU CAN SENSE HIS ENERGY! HE HAS TO BE THERE!" _He just has to…_

Pikachu nudged her leg again, when she looked down, his crystalline eyes seemed to be glimmering a bit more than usual. Upon closer inspection, she saw that they were glimmering with tears…

"Misty…I…I can't…sense him anymore…" he murmured quietly, his pointy ears drooping sadly.

"No…no…you're lying! Look harder, please…he's there, I just know it…"

"He's not…" whispered the small rodent, almost not believing the words himself. "I've looked…I've scanned as hard as I can…there's no good energy left…nothing…there's just…emptiness…a void." Pikachu turned away, he couldn't bear the look on Misty's face anymore, he was slipping into the same stage of denial himself.

Misty was chanting the words in her head. _He's alive, he's still there, he'll get out…he just has to…he's there… _But with each passing second, her hope ebbed away, little by little. She snapped out of her trance in time to see Giovanni press a button on one of the strange machines. The tubes that had latched onto Ash's body fell away as he began to awaken.

All they could see was a black silhouette surrounded by the demonic red liquid. Suddenly, a pair of eyes opened, the same color as the liquid, making it seem as if they had been cut out. Red lines emanated from the eyes, etching themselves into the body as they snaked along the figure, and as they moved along, the cylindrical container began to crack. It finally burst open, and everyone in the cage looked on in horror at the thing that had possessed their friend's body.

The figure had Ash's body and face, with a few differences. His skin was a grayish color, a sickening tint that reeked of death. His fingers had elongated slightly, and had narrowed, forming claws. The clothes he wore were completely black, with a demonic red flame design on the edges. His eyes were hawk-like and without pupils, letting the red flow through them freely. The lines had been drawn across his body the same way Ash's pattern had spread across his, only the lines were the exact same color as the eyes, making it look like that all the power flowing from them was created in the sharp red orbs. His wings were leathery and bat-like, with a wingspan large enough to rival a Salamance. His teeth were the only things on his body that were white, they were sharpened considerably, especially the canines, they made the demonic Ash look like a vampire. His whole body was still dripping with the liquid, making it look like as if he had been bathed in blood. As he stepped out of the machine, he flexed his fingers experimentally, staring at them like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"**Ah, it feels good to finally have a body for once. And with a vessel of this power, I can easily spread chaos. I no longer need this human puppet."** And with that, he raised a finger, causing Giovanni's eyes to dull, then close. With a casual flick of the finger, he sent Giovanni's body crashing against the cage, sending the man into unconsciousness.

"A-Ash?" stuttered Misty, who felt her heart breaking in two.

"**That foolish mortal? He no longer exists. That is the price he pays for trying to stop me. Humans are so weak…"** The demon began to chuckle darkly, making everybody freeze in fear, they had never heard a voice so…evil before.

"Who…who are you?" questioned Pikachu, partly out of fury, but mostly out of fear.

"**You fools are not worthy of hearing my name. You humans are nothing but insects compared to me. I'll only tell you this: Stay out of my way, or I shall make your life a living hell. And don't worry…I never go back on my word."** A sinister cackle escaped his lips before he spread his leathery wings and shot straight up through the ceiling.

Everybody's reaction to this was slightly different. May and Max sank to their knees in disbelief. Rudy was staring at the hole in the ceiling, as if transfixed by the sight. Brock was holding his head in his hands, silently mulling over what just happened. Pikachu was still trying to sense Ash's energy, a whiff, just a puff…but his attempts were futile.

And Misty? She was still clenching the bars as if her fingers were welded to it, her face was contorted with anger and despair. She had failed him, she couldn't get him back, and now he was gone…forever.

That…demon…was going to pay. And he was going to pay dearly.

* * *

Everybody had trudged into the forest trying to see if they could spy any hints on the whereabouts of the demon. Once they got closer to Pallet Town, they saw a looming black cloud, sparkling with demonic red energy. It swirled around a point in the center, almost like a pinwheel. This cloud had situated itself right over Pallet Lake. 

Misty clenched her fists in anger. She knew where he was. And she would beat him into the afterlife, then demand he come back alive so she could demand what he had done to Ash. Then she would beat him into the afterlife once more…

As if he knew what she was thinking (and he probably did), Pikachu interrupted her thoughts.

"Misty, we can't just barge in there. We have to plan out."

"I don't care! I have to-"

"Misty, listen to me!" The seriousness in his voice stopped her short. "I may be powerful, but I'm only about one-third as powerful as Ash can be. Now that that demon has his body, he has access to all of Ash's abilities and strengths, as well as his own. We have to plan this out carefully, or we'll never see the light of day again!"

Everybody froze at the severity of the situation, realizing how tough this would actually be. They all jumped at the noise of someone groaning. Giovanni (who had been supported by Brock and Rudy during the trip) began to awaken, and looked around confusedly. He asked where he was, and when Pikachu explained everything to him, he was in a state of shock.

"Take my Pokemon," he said weakly. "If what you say is true, then my Pokemon would probably still have some demonic influences on them, since you say they were unstoppable during the revolution. I just hope that they can return to normal after this…" He drifted back into a deep sleep.

"Hmm…I hate to admit it, but Giovanni doesn't seem so bad after all," murmured Brock.

"To tell you the truth, he treats his Pokemon with the utmost care. He just chose the wrong path in life, but the bonds he has with his Pokemon are extremely strong. Ash and I actually thought he might turn out okay after his jail sentence was complete," commented Pikachu. "I think his Pokemon will be a big asset. I can sense the demonic energy in them, but they're not evil, they're just been given a boost in power, similar to me. They might even have some of the demon's abilities. Now," Pikachu said, gathering the group in a huddle, "we better get a plan in place…"

* * *

The black clouds swirled angrily as they circled around the eye of the storm. Red sparks jumped from cloud to cloud, dazzling the eyes with their vibrant glow. In the eye stood a figure, cloaked in black, a maniacal smile on its face. 

**_Soon, I shall be completely rejuvenated. Then, the world…no…the universe shall fall into my very claws!_** He flexed his gray appendages at that thought, curling them into a fist. He relished the power that this newfound body gave him, it may have not been his type, but it was easily converted. And that bratty human was much too weak to do anything about it, so long as he kept draining the child's energy.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a golden beam of light striking his left wing, followed by many other beams of energy, some of them similar to his own. Quickly getting over the shock of the attack, he put up a barrier to divert the beams, ending the onslaught. At the edge of the lake, his eye caught the appearance of the same humans as before, armed with many Pokemon, most of them belonging to his host. He chuckled amusedly at the sight of the demonic Pokemon, it was interesting to see how they tried to turn his own power against him. He decided to toy with these mortals, it would be fun to break their spirits and resolve, especially the red-haired one. That was the one who seemed to be leading the attack, and the one treasured most by the foolish brown-eyed child. Oh, this would be fun.

He came down and hovered just above the lake, smiling maniacally at the group, unnerving some and angering others. **"I'm surprised that you have gone against my advice. It would have been in your best interest to follow it."**

"Yeah, right! You would have tortured us anyways!" screeched out Pikachu, hot fury running through his veins.

"**Ah, so you are taking the 'sooner than later' approach?"**

"No, we're taking the 'kick your ass' approach! You'll pay for killing our friend!"

**_Ah, they think the child is dead. This will make it easier to torture them…_** The maniacal grin grew wider at this thought.

"**You humans are sorely mistaken if you think you can beat me. You will be given one chance to flee before I skewer you alive!"**The demon flexed his claws to prove his point, they were extremely sharp so that even a light touch could draw blood.

"What, you scared?" Pikachu was taunting the demon now, hoping to get him to attack in a blind rage. It worked…sort of. The demon simply cackled madly before diving into an attack.

* * *

The field surrounding the lake had become scorched and barren, the lake, which was previously calm, was now frothing angrily in a torrent of waves. Trees were stripped of their leaves and covered in a thick layer of charcoal. The clouds were no different than before, except maybe they might have become darker and stormier. 

Both sides of the battle had taken heavy damage, their bodies had been stressed to near their limits. However, it was the human/Pokemon side that had taken the most damage, the demon was able to avoid many of the attacks and heal himself if he did get hit. His attacks were swift and deadly, and they were done in a flaunting manner, as if he was toying with them. However, even the demon was tired to some extent, he was not given a chance to fully heal, nor was he at full strength when they first challenged him. He had to admit the humans were not completely foolish, but they would still fall down in defeat. **_Hmm. Maybe now would be a good time for some taunting._**

The demon let out a sinister chuckle, unnerving the tired out group of people and Pokemon, they couldn't believe how he could still be up and around. **"Kukuku…you mortals are fools to struggle so long. Why do you fight a losing battle? You will never be able to triumph over me."**

Misty was incensed at those words, they were flaring her temper like never before. Those words were an insult to her, to her friends, and to Ash… She weakly stood up and glared the demon down.

"We fight because we can't allow the ones we care about to get hurt! We can't just stand by and let that happen, we can't let all the sufferings our friend went through to be in vain, we fight on, because we honor that spirit!"

The demon cackled madly, this was what he had been hoping for. **"What spirit? There is no spirit of your friend left, foolish mortal."**

"DON'T SAY THAT! HE'S ALIVE! HE'S…HE'S STILL HERE…" Misty was getting angrier and angrier by the second, she couldn't bear to face the thought that Ash was gone, and that…thing…was constantly pushing that fact in her face! "WHO ARE YOU TO SAY LIES LIKE THAT?!" It pained her friends to see her this way, her aquamarine eyes threatening to spill over, her hands clenched together tightly in fists. The demon on the other hand, smirked. This would be fun.

"**You humans amuse me. Do you truly think you can simply demand answers from me? However, I pity you pathetic mortals, I will give you a straight answer. I am Shingara, incarnate of darkness itself.**

"**When the world was created, light and dark took their own forms. Light took the form of Ho-oh, legendary phoenix, the protector of pure souls. Darkness was not allowed to be given a form, instead I remained a force, and was sealed away…mostly. My influence has managed to darken the hearts of many humans over the years, only a select few have remained pure of heart. However, most of myself was sealed away, forgotten, abandoned.**

"**Several years before, a man by the name of Giovanni stumbled upon me whilst training in the mountains. This was after he had been defeated by a young trainer, but before he got arrested. Giovanni had been trying to change himself, but I managed to blacken his heart once more, and was able to control him like a puppet. With his help, I have achieved the most powerful of beings for a host. Due to Ho-oh sealing himself within a human, his will is only as strong as the one he inhabits. And humans are oh so very weak…"**

"What…what are you saying?" whispered Misty quietly, she could barely be heard.

"**Fool, I am saying that your friend is gone, disappeared, wiped off the face of the earth. He will never return-"**

"LIAR! HE…HE-"

"**Foolish human, he is gone! And isn't it a shame that you weren't able to save him…you weren't able to confess your feelings…"**

"Sh-shut up…" Misty was holding herself, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears. They opened reluctantly at the sensation of her face being lifted up; Shingara's claw was under her chin, hoisting it up so that she was able to look straight into the demonic red eyes.

"**And what a pity that you were too scared to say anything…and he was too scared as well…what a shame that you didn't know he returned your feelings!"** The demon's maniacal smile grew larger as she slapped his claw away; he backed up to where he had been previously hovering at the center of the lake. **"Ah, what a shame, what a shame, you could have stopped what happened, or at least given him a little happiness, but fear held you back…and now he's gone! You'll never see him again, he'll never see you, and you never said anything…"**

"SHUT UP! JUST STOP IT, STOP EVERYTHING! END IT!" The demon's grin grew even wider.

"**With pleasure."** He charged up a red orb that was sparkling with black energy and thrust it into the middle of the lake, creating a massive tidal wave. It raced towards the shore, roaring.

Everybody scrambled to return the Pokemon to their Pokeballs and leave, everyone except Misty, who was sitting on her knees, her fists pushing against the ground.

"Misty, we have to get out of here! Please, listen to me!" pleaded Pikachu. His cries fell on deaf ears. "Misty, snap out of it!"

"Just go." Misty's voice was hollow and empty, no real force was put behind it.

"But-"

"Go."

Pikachu saw the hopelessness of getting her to move, so he ran off, stopping once to look back at her with pleading eyes. She didn't respond.

The last thing he saw was a swirling sea of foam and water.

* * *

The clearing around the lake was drenched and dampened, it looked more like a swamp than a field. A figure could be seen crawling slowly out of the water before sitting at the base of a nearby tree, curling up and surrounding itself with an aura of sadness. 

The red headed girl was heartbroken, she couldn't make out anything around her, her vision was blurred with tears. Her head was resting against her knees as she began to cry, more than she had ever done before. Shingara was right, everything was her fault, she couldn't save him, she never could. Who was she trying to fool? She wasn't the right one for him, she couldn't reach out for him in time, she was weak, just weak and insignificant. What was the point of fighting?

A soft breeze began to blow, it seemed to caress her and try to soothe her, but she simply shivered and recoiled from the wind. A faint whisper reached her ear, it was an all too familiar voice, but she flinched, it was another trick, just an illusion. As the wind continued to blow, an image began to form in her mind's eye.

A figure of a person began to form, it was ghostly and colorless, save for the clouds of mist surrounding it, which were pitch black and sparkling with red energy. A thread of gold energy wove in and out of the mist as well, but it was thin and frail. The person was slightly taller than her, it was wearing tattered clothes, and bound by chains on his ankles and wrists, which kept it chained to the dark mist. The figure had messy, spiked hair, and two lightning bolt shaped birthmarks were seen just under the eyes. The figure came closer to her, until they were no more than a foot apart. It smiled at her, and whispered one word:

"_Mist…"_

Once, that voice would have made her light up in happiness and delight. But now she cringed, and tried to back away.

"Go…go away, just go away…"

"_But Mist…"_

"You're nothing, you're just an illusion, a trick! You're just here to tease me, there is no you left, you're gone! Just…just go away!"

"_Mist, listen to me…"_

"No! You're not real! Go away, leave me alone!" Tears were cascading down her pale cheeks, her eyes were shut so that she wouldn't see the specter before her. She cringed when she felt something soft touch her skin, but she was also calmed somewhat.

"_Please don't cry, Mist, please don't…"_ The specter was wiping away her tears with a gentle touch, it soothed her enough to open her eyes. What the ghostly figure was using to wipe her tears startled her.

It was a very familiar handkerchief, if had not been ghostlike, it would have been a bright vivid pink.

"You…you still have it?"

"_Of course I do. Even when I tried to get rid of it, when I was at the deepest pits of despair, it still stayed with me. It's kinda like you, it's stubborn 'til the end."_

"Ash," she growled out, her temper flaring up just like the old days. _Wait a minute…just like the old days…_ she thought. Looking up into the specter's eyes, she noted that they were colorless, but a familiar warmth emanated from them. "What…what happened to you? Everybody said you were gone…even Pikachu…"

"_What, you think I would go down that easy? Shingara needed to keep my soul alive, since that is what contains Ho-oh's power. Without my soul, he just would have had a fancy new body. He kept me barely alive, and any energy I emitted was quickly converted to dark energy before it could be sensed."_

Misty punched the ground. "And to think I almost believed that guy…" She stopped muttering when she noticed the image of Ash getting fainter and fainter.

"_Uh oh, Mist, I have to make this quick. There is a way to get me back. No, let me finish, Mist,"_ he placed a ghostly finger over her mouth when she tried to speak. _"Before the transformation was complete, a small part of my spirit managed to escape and create a body for itself. If you can find that body and bring it close enough to Shingara, the rest of my spirit should be able to release itself as well."_

"But…but what if I can't find it?"

"_Don't worry, Mist. Finding the body is the easy part. It's bringing it closer to Shingara that will be a challenge. But, it's not like you to back down from a challenge, is it, Mist? Or have you gotten soft?"_ The characteristic grin formed across his face when he saw her stand up in playful defiance.

"Don't worry, Ash. I'll find it. I won't let you down…again."

"_Mist…you never let me down in the first place…"_ Ash's voice echoed out as his figure vanished from her mind's eye.

"Ash, wait! Please, don't go!"

And with that, she woke up. Shivering slightly, she noticed that she was completely dry and much warmer than before. She was still in disbelief over what had happened.

_Was that a dream?_ She looked down and saw something that made her jump. It was the pink handkerchief. Holding it close to her chest, she smiled as another breeze wafted across her face.

"_Good luck, Mist…"_

end of chapter 7

* * *

It seems that not all hope is lost, but is the small sliver of light given to Misty enough to guide her? We'll see... 


	9. Chapter 8: The Fear of a Child

Too tired for an author's note...

**Disclaimer: **Pokemon not mine.

* * *

A Whisper in the Wind

Chapter 8

Misty was exhausted. Drop-dead tired. The meadow had been turned into a swamp. Her legs were weighted down with mud and muck, making them feel ten times heavier than they usually were. It was a huge relief when she finally made it out of there. The first thing she did was empty her shoes and wring out her socks.

The weight on her legs had been lifted, but her heart still felt heavy. She knew that her time was limited. Shingara would be at full power soon. She needed to find Ash's body, and fast.

But that was easier said than done. Ash could have become anyone or anything, even a Pokemon. If this was the easy part, she didn't even want to think about the hard part.

_Ash, if you've become a bug Pokemon, you will be in so much trouble…_

She was jolted out of her thoughts when the sounds of silent sobbing reached her ears.

* * *

Misty had been trying to track the voice down for some time now, it was drenched in grief, and heart-wrenching to hear. The voice sounded young and frightened, it was probably someone who had gotten lost and had seen what was happening.

She glanced around and realized she was at the place where she had found Ash drenched in rainwater after the storm. She didn't know how she had gotten here, but it was strangely comforting, as well as somewhat unnerving. It was here that she found the origin of the sobbing voice.

Sitting on a boulder was a little boy, no older than five, his face in his hands. His clothes were all black, consisting of a black T-shirt and long jeans. They seemed a little worse for wear, the edges were frayed and wet. Soft, muffled whimpering could be heard from his hands; the sobs were short, as if he was gasping for air. Misty wanted to comfort the crying child, so she approached him quietly, not wanting to scare him. She gasped at the sight of the raven black locks of spiky hair adorning his head, and that sound snapped the child out of his shocked state. He looked up at her, and her aquamarine eyes widened in surprise as they met two shimmering orbs of chocolate brown…

Misty instantly recognized that shade of brown, only one person had a shade of brown that was so expressive…

"Ash?"

Immediately, the boy's eyes filled with fear and shock, and he backed away slightly. This wasn't the reaction she was expecting. Her heart began to sink slightly.

"W-who are you? And how do you know my name?" His voice was quivering and panicky, it was the voice of someone who was lost and afraid, living in fear of being found. This was not the happy-go-lucky voice that she was looking forward to, it was if he had been replaced with a different personality completely.

_I wonder if this was the hard part Ash was talking about…_ Strengthening her resolve, she stepped closer to the frightened child, who cringed and backed further away.

"Ash, it's me, Misty. Don't you remember me?"

"G-go away!"

"Ash, can't you remember anything?" She tried to put her hand on his shoulder, but he slapped it away.

"No, get away from me! You're just one of those bad people who try to hurt me! They are all trying to get me 'cause of what I have, and I want it to stop! Go away!" His eyes were closed and tears were freely flowing from them. He had completely shut himself away from her emotions, and was refusing to listen to what she had to say. Misty's eyes were starting to well up with tears of her own, this was almost too much. It hurt to think that he didn't remember her, didn't even want to acknowledge her. She quickly reminded herself that this was only part of Ash, it was not his whole spirit.

"Ash, please listen to me…"

"Leave me alone!" And with that, he jumped off the boulder and dashed off as fast as he could into the woods. Misty followed, but had a hard time finding him in the tall brush. Tripping over a tree root here and there, she followed him out of the forest.

She looked around frantically, but could not see Ash anywhere. Panicking, she rushed forward, and found herself near a rock face. It was a tall mountain, and she craned her neck to look up the whole way. Hearing some small rocks tumble to the ground, she looked to her right.

There he was, looking up the stony precipice, apparently looking for a way to scale it. She approached closer, screaming out his name. Ash turned around, fear magnified in his chocolate eyes, as he watched her come closer. Feeling trapped, he grabbed a small pebble and threw it blindly in her direction, missing her completely.

"Why can't everybody just leave me alone?!" he screamed, tears cascading down his cheeks, his face looking almost wild, insane. Misty tried to reach out to him, to console him, comfort him…but he evaded her by climbing up the rock face.

"Ash, be careful! You could get hurt!" she screamed up at him before climbing up after him herself. Ash looked down at her briefly in surprise, before continuing up the cliff. _Why is she worried about me? She's just one of those bad people…_

Reaching a ledge, he stopped to rest, only to jump to his feet seconds later as a panting redhead appeared on the same one. He backed away from her, desperately trying to put distance between them.

"Go…go away…" he cried, although his words seemed to have less force in them, as if he was hesitant, unsure.

"Ash, please, I just want to help you…"

"That's what they all say! They all try and get close to me and then they try to hurt me! And I don't want that to happen anymore!" He was stepping further and further away, getting dangerously close to the edge.

"Ash! LOOK OUT!"

It was too late. His right foot had slipped off the edge, causing him to lose balance and tumble down as well. He screamed in terror as he felt the weightless sensation of falling, only to feel two hands clasp themselves around one of his. He looked up to see the redhead lying chest down on the ledge, holding his arm tightly. He stared in shock, did she just save him? Why?

"Lemme go!"

"Are you crazy?! You could die!!!"

"I don't care! I don't want people chasing me anymore! I want it to stop, I want to stop running…I…I just want it to end…" His words were cut off by his choked sobbing as his struggles stopped. Misty was heartbroken at his words, he was completely mistrustful of everyone. It hurt to see her friend like this. Straining to pull him up, she didn't notice the ground around her giving way…

At once, the ledge split in half, the weakened remains falling to the ground as an avalanche of rocks. Misty and Ash both screamed as they fell, both feeling like this would be the end. Ash clenched his eyes shut, for all his talk, he was still scared of dying. A pair of arms encircled him, warming his shivering body and calming him. He stared up, looking at his redheaded savior, and questions flooded his mind. _Why…why did she save me? Why?_

Misty was completely focused on getting herself and Ash out of there alive. It appeared that they were about to fall in a quickly flowing river that had wound its way down the mountainside in a series of rapids. Although the river was at ground level at that point, and not filled with dangerous rocks, it was still deep and cold. She braced herself for the impact…and broke through the surface of the water with a loud splash.

Quickly fighting her way back to the surface, she instinctively reached for one of her water Pokemon…then remembered that they were still severely weakened from the fight with Shingara. They would be hurt too much by the rapidly flowing waters, and would have too much trouble fighting against the current. She had to get herself and Ash out of here herself.

Ash was truly frightened as he felt the water trying to whisk him away. He felt like the only person he could trust to get him out of this was the redhead…but he was still scared. He didn't know what he was scared of more, the creek, or the redhead. He didn't want to die…but he didn't want to get stuck with the wrong person…

He felt so confused, he needed something to support him. And for now, the only thing he could cling onto was the girl.

_Why…why do you act this way? Can I really trust you?_

Misty was struggling to reach the shoreline with all her strength, she had nearly made it. She just had to make this last push. Her muscles were aching, they were screaming for relief, they wanted her to stop, but she ignored them. _Just a little more…a little bit longer…_

She was relieved when she made it to the shoreline. As soon as she felt both her body and Ash's reach dry land, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Ash carefully pried himself from her arms, trying his best not to wake her. Sitting a distance away, he hugged his knees, thinking. His emotions were so tangled, he couldn't pry them apart. It hurt so much, and he didn't know what to do…should he stay with her, or should he go? She had saved his life…and yet…he felt funny around her. He was so confused…

He needed to get away. Get away from everything. If he got away from her, he would never have these feelings again. Never. He had to leave.

Standing up on wobbly legs, he looked at her sleeping form one last time.

* * *

Misty woke up to find herself covered with a strange blanket made of leaves. It was raining heavily, and Ash was nowhere to be found. Sighing softly, she let tears fall and mingle with the raindrops falling from the sky. She had failed him again…

Standing up, she shuffled into the forest, looking around listlessly for anything, anything that proved he was nearby. Clutching the leafy covering around her shoulders, she cried out his name, receiving no response except for the pitter-pattering of the rain.

Just as she had begun to lose hope, a Kangaskhan appeared in front of her, motioning to her with its right claw. Wondering why it wanted her to follow him, she let it lead her deeper into the forest.

Eventually coming to a clearing, she was amazed at the number of Pokemon that had gathered there. They were in a circular pattern, surrounding something. Reaching the outer edge of the circle, the Kangaskhan mumbled some words in its native language to the other Pokemon, and they parted to make way for Misty. Rushing forward, she found a small boy dressed in black lying on the ground.

Ash was shivering, his skin felt cold and clammy to the touch. He was mumbling incoherent words, although Misty could somewhat make out the words "Leave me alone…" He seemed to be crying, although that may had just been rainwater.

Misty quickly took the leafy covering off her shoulders and used it to cover Ash's body before scooping him up in her arms. Thanking the Pokemon, she let that same Kangaskhan lead her somewhere that could warm Ash up.

* * *

Ash was jolted out of his clouded state of mind by the sense of comforting warmth from a pair of arms holding in. Opening his eyes, he could see a blurry image of someone with red hair carrying him. As his vision cleared, he could see the determination in her sea green eyes, they were completely focused on getting him somewhere safe. Maybe…maybe he could trust her…

Snuggling in closer to her warmth, he closed his eyes and slipped into the sweet dreamless sleep of unconsciousness.

* * *

He felt himself awaken, but kept his eyes closed. He wanted to hold onto the warmth that enveloped him, wanted to stay in this sensation of blackness, it was quite comforting. However, it all slipped away, and he grudgingly opened his eyes.

He could see that he was in a cave, and he was covered in a blanket of leaves. A campfire had been set up close to him, and some Pecha Berries were laid out on a platter of leaves right next to his body. Sitting up slowly, he could see the girl sitting on the other side of the campfire, looking at him with eyes full of concern.

"I guess you're feeling better now," she said, smiling.

"Um, I guess." He smiled sheepishly, feeling a little guilty about the way he had been running from her, when all she seemed to want was to be kind.

"Here, the Pokemon brought these for us. Take some," she replied, sweeping her hand along the pink berries. Not wanting to be rude, he took one and bit into it, staring at the floor.

"Um…I'm…um, sorry…"

"It's okay, I understand. I can see why you would be afraid."

"But…but…you got hurt! You-"

She cut him off by holding a finger to his lips.

"It's okay. I would gladly do these sort of things for a friend."

"…Really?"

"Really. After all, I learned it from you."

"M-me?! But…I don't…"

"Know me? You don't now. But we were best friends in the past. You taught me how to be kind, what being a friend was really all about. I admired the way you always seemed to treat everybody with kindness, and how you opened your heart out to everybody. You were the one who pretty much got me out of my shell."

"But…how did this happen?"

"Ash, lots of things have happened…"

And so, she told him. How he had always wanted to be a Pokemon Master. How he had finally accomplished his dream, only to vanish that same night. How he had been thought dead for ten years, only to return and destroy Team Rocket. How he had completely changed. How he had been captured and taken over by the spirit of an evil being. How he had become the way he was now.

And Ash was amazed at every detail of it. His eyes were widened in shock and surprise, reflecting the light of the fire so that the chocolate brown shimmered beautifully, as if they were melting into one big mass of emotion.

"M-Misty? Can you tell me how we became friends?"

"Well, it's a funny story…"

She told him the story of how he had been chased by a flock of Spearow, and had jumped down a waterfall in order to save his Pikachu. She then told him how she fished him out by accident, and how he had "borrowed" her bike, only to destroy it, making her swear to follow him until he paid her back. She explained how both of them knew it was an excuse for her to make friends, and both of them didn't really mind. Ash was giggling at the end of the story.

"That's a strange way to meet somebody."

"I know, but we became really close, so I guess it doesn't matter."

"I guess…" Ash was sitting next to Misty now, his small form nuzzling against hers. He yawned loudly, wrapping himself up in the leafy blanket.

"Don't worry, Misty, tomorrow we're gonna kick that Shingara guy's butt, and kick it good," he mumbled in a sleepy tone, snuggling deeper.

Misty smiled at his small form curled up next to her, and stroked his raven black hair.

"We sure will," she replied back.

"Hey, Mist?" he questioned in a quiet voice. She looked down at him, startled, and saw his chocolate brown eyes gleaming in the firelight.

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Thanks for being my friend," he whispered before falling asleep next to her. A small smile graced her features before she put out the campfire. Putting his sleeping form in her lap, she smiled.

"You're welcome," she whispered back before drifting off to sleep.

end of chapter 8

* * *

Well, Ash is found...not exactly the way Misty expected him to be, but found nonetheless.

Anyways, if you're getting tired of all the depression, check out the new story on my profile. It's something me and my friend are working on, and I'm sure it's lighthearted enough to make you laugh.


	10. Chapter 9: Memories Returned

(A/N): Can't think of anything to say...

And for those of you who asked, I made Ash a five year old because it was the first thing that came to mind...I guess the idea came from that Teen Titans episode, but I didn't really see the connection until I actually saw the episode a few days later...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokemon...(yawn)

* * *

A Whisper in the Wind

Chapter 9

The rain had stopped. It was bright and sunny, and quite cheerful. The green grass sparkled with raindrops, and the trees were rustling quietly in the gentle breeze. Pokemon twittered happily as they fluttered, romped, or ran about. Chattering and happy squeals could be heard far and wide. The sky was a bright blue, and puffy white clouds danced across it, revealing a bright golden sun. It was a peaceful place.

Or it would have been if it wasn't under siege by an ultra-powerful demon lord that had gained the body of one of the most powerful beings in existence.

Instead, the sky was a dreary gray, but no one would have seen it due to the pitch black storm clouds that raced across the field. Occasionally, the clouds would part, but only for the briefest second to reveal a blood red sun. They sparked with vicious red lightning that jumped from cloud to cloud, occasionally tripping and falling down to earth, blowing up some poor tree in the process. Of course, it wasn't like the trees were alive, they were scorched black and completely leafless, it was as if a forest fire had ravaged the land. The grass, if there was any, was shriveled and wispy, it crumbled at the slightest touch. All the Pokemon were hiding timidly behind bushes, that is, if you call a bunch of twigs sticking out of the ground bushes.

It was if that rainstorm served to spread more of Shingara's power. Ash's normal sparkle seemed to have faded as he gazed at his surroundings, his form seemed to wilt just like the plants around him. Misty felt the same way, this place was just too depressing.

"Misty, all the happiness is gone. What happened to it?" he asked as he kicked a rock.

"Shingara did this. He's made everything evil and heartless." Ash pondered this for a minute, then he looked up at her with smiling eyes.

"Now we're really gonna kick his butt."

Misty smiled back at the little boy, it was just too cute to stay upset. "He won't know what hit him."

* * *

Misty and the five-year-old Ash were heading towards the lake, where they had last seen their friends. They gazed on the dreary landscape, it just seemed to be more and more depressing the more they looked at it. To try and keep his spirits up, she told him stories about his journey, all the people he met and friends he made, and all the Pokemon he had caught. Ash listened attentively, and would sometimes look up at her whenever things got interesting. Misty would giggle at that, it was just too cute, especially when his eyes shimmered at the mention of one of his 'Poke-pals', as he called them.

As they reached a clearing, Misty heard some familiar voices and smiled.

"Ash, it's our friends." Ash looked up at her with a wide-eyed expression, filled with curiosity and a little bit of fear.

"You mean Brock and May and Max and the others that you told me about?"

"Yup." They both walked out of the clearing, and the others looked up at the sound of bushes rustling.

"Misty, you're back!" everybody cried in relief, some more so than others. Several injured Pokemon were also in the field, being treated for injuries.

"What happened?" asked Pikachu, who had been worried sick after he saw her get swallowed by the waves. "And…why do I sense someone else familiar?"

Misty's grin grew even wider. "You won't believe who I found!" She looked down, only to see no one next to her. She looked around and found Ash hiding behind her, looking up at her in worry. "Don't worry, you can come out, they're our best friends."

Ash peeked out from behind her and saw everyone gasp in shock, at a loss for words. Pikachu slowly crept closer, not believing his eyes.

"A-Ash?" he whispered in a voice that could barely be heard. Ash simply shrank away a little bit, before looking up at Misty.

"Ash, this is your Pikachu, he's your first Pokemon and best friend." After hearing that, he focused his attention on the golden rodent, before tentatively reaching out a hand to pet it. Pikachu didn't move at all, he just watched the small hand come closer and closer, twitching back occasionally, before resting it on his head and caressing it. Pikachu let out a small "chaa" to let Ash know he appreciated it, which made Ash relax a bit more and scoop up the rodent, hugging it tightly.

Everyone rejoiced at this, and they all gathered around the five-year-old Ash, who was now as happy as he could be.

* * *

"So…you're my mom," Ash said, pointing at Delia. "you used to be my rival before you became a researcher,"-he shifted his finger to point at Gary-"you were the second traveling friend I made and you wanted to be a breeder,"-Brock- "you were a coordinator," -May- "you just hung around since you weren't old enough to be a trainer,"- Max- "and you were one of the Gym Leaders I battled?"-his finger stopped at Rudy.

"YES!" everyone cried back in exasperation and relief, it had taken little Ash nearly an hour to set all the roles straight. For some reason, Misty's role was the only one he got right.

"Er…okay…so, um…what kind of Gym do you have, um…" Ash stared at Rudy, trying to remember his name. "Um…Gary?"

Rudy fell over in exasperation. "It's Rudy…" he whined. Everybody else sighed.

"This is getting us nowhere," groaned May. "And I thought Ash was dense before…"

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Misty, snapping her fingers. "The carvings! Ash made carvings of every single person he met on his journey, right?"

"I did?"

"Yeah, you did, and they were some of the best I've ever seen!" replied Brock.

"Really, um…Max?"

Brock groaned.

* * *

"Here we are, dears," Delia said, opening the closet door. Little Ash walked through the corridor, looking at all the statues of people and Pokemon, before picking one up.

"Hey…isn't this…Macey? Didn't I battle her in the Johto League Championships?" asked Ash, fingering the statue.

"Yep," replied Brock, who noticed Misty clenching a fist rather tightly…

"Yeah, I remember now! She was creepy." Ash shuddered before putting back the statue. "And…hey! Isn't that…"

It went on like that for a while, Ash had gone through almost all of the statues. Picking up a statue of a woman in a lab coat, he stared at it for a few seconds.

"Isn't she…"

"No! Don't say it!" screamed Brock.

"…Professor Ivy?"

"Agh, no, not that name…" Brock mumbled as he curled up on the floor.

"What's up with him?" Ash asked confusedly.

"Eh, we never really found out," replied Misty. "What I would like to know is how these statues restored your memory…"

"Misty, Ash put his heart and soul into making those statues, because these memories were precious to him. There's a little bit of him in all of these pieces of wood," answered Delia.

"So…I'm in all these statues, Mom?" questioned little Ash.

"Something like that, dearie."

* * *

"Guys, we still need to kick that Shingara guy's butt!" yelled little Ash, who, along with Pikachu, was a good distance away from the rest of them. Everybody else was tired, they couldn't keep up with the energetic five-year-old.

"Come ooooonnnn!" whined the boy, who was jumping up and down on the spot trying to get their attention. Pikachu, who was sitting on his shoulder, was starting to turn green, he could feel his stomach turning over. _Damn, riding on this kid's shoulder is like getting on a rollercoaster._

"Don't pant worry, Ash, (gasp) we'll be (wheeze) right there!" replied Misty. _The more time I hang out with him, the less he seems like a cute little kid, and more like his bratty old self…_

"_You mean like the Ash you used to love?" _A cheeky voice rang through her head, it sounded oddly familiar…

"…_Shut up, Pikachu."_

Pikachu grinned slyly, he just loved messing with their heads.

"How can (gasp) one kid have (wheeze) so much energy?" coughed Rudy.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet," replied Delia, who, surprisingly, wasn't as tired as the rest, she was standing upright, unlike the others, and was able to speak without wheezing. "Just wait until he gets excited. I haven't had a good chase like this since he left on his journey." Everybody sweatdropped, and sighed in exasperation.

This was going to be a long run.

* * *

Everybody had arrived at the lake(after much whining by Ash), and they were appalled at what it had become. The once crystal-clear blue water was now a searing red, bubbling and frothing silently among the scorched land. The water Pokemon that were unable to escape it's wrath were constantly crying in fear as they all huddled together for comfort. Little Ash crept closer to the lake, his face full of shock and fright, he never thought that Shingara guy could do all this. He saw something black and shriveled in the water, when he brought his face closer to it, he saw that it was a lotus, once a pure white, now decayed and robbed of its beauty. He reached out a hand to touch it, as soon as his small fingers brushed against the black petals, it crumbled before his very eyes. Tears began to well up in the young child's brown eyes, and he clutched the person next to him and began to sob into their legs, who just happened to be Misty. She knelt down and took the saddened child into her arms and let him cry into her shoulder while looking around at the changed landscape. Everyone else looked on in sorrow and pity before looking around as well.

"M-Misty, I-I just w-want it t-to stop…" the little child whimpered, his voice was choked up. Misty just hugged him tighter as she let a tear escape her aquamarine eyes.

"**You know, you people are really starting to become a nuisance," **a dark voice rang out through the clearing. Everybody looked up to see a winged figure up in the dark clouds.

"Shingara…" Misty muttered in anger and disgust. When he heard that name, Ash followed Misty's gaze and saw the figure, causing him to shudder in fright. It looked a lot bigger and meaner than what Misty had said about it.

"Ash, you stay back there, behind those bushes," Misty murmured to the child, who was still shaking in her arms.

"W-what? Why?"

"Ash, we don't want Shingara to find out about you yet. We need to weaken him down a bit first, before we can try to find a way to get the rest of you out of him."

"But, but-"

"No buts! Get behind there!" Ash whimpered silently and listened to her, still feeling a bit unsure about what he was doing.

* * *

Ash was still hiding behind the bushes, heck, he wouldn't even call them bushes if he had a say in things. He wanted desperately to help his friends, but he was still frightened of the demon, and anyways, he couldn't do anything to help, he was just a little boy. Looking around the field, he saw the deep gorges and blasted vegetation, making the whole field look like a wasteland. It hurt him a lot to see all this.

And it hurt him even more to see all the people and Pokemon that were scared and injured. They all felt so hopeless, and yet, they kept on fighting, because it was all they could do.

And he couldn't do anything to help them…

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he saw Misty get thrown to the ground painfully by an attack…and she didn't get up.

"Misty!" he screeched as he ran out onto the battleground. He ran out as fast as he could, several attacks just barely missing him, grazing his sides. When he got close to her, an explosion from a nearby attack threw him to the ground. He got up on all fours and crawled to her body, still unmoving. As soon as he reached her, he shook her shoulder, crying at her to wake up. An aquamarine eye fluttered open, quickly focusing itself on him.

"Ash? Quick, you have to leave, before Shingara sees you!"

"No way! I can't leave you here! You're my friend, Misty."

"Ash, stop being stubborn and leave!"

"No!"

"**Well, well, what do we have here?"** a sinister voice chuckled as a clawed hand picked up Ash by the front of his shirt. Ash quickly grabbed on to the demon's wrist, trying to pry himself free from it's clutches, but Shingara simply sneered at the boy's futile attempts to get free. **"Another body for the brat? You think he would have made something a little stronger,"** he droned as he flicked at Ash's nose. **"But no, apparently all he could do was summon the body of a five-year-old. Pathetic,"** he continued, before throwing the boy to the ground, making him land painfully next to where Misty lay. Ash stood up weakly, glaring at the demon, who looked down with amusement on his face.

"**You, are really becoming a real thorn in my side,"** he said, as a black sphere sparkling with red electricity charged up in his palm. **"Say your goodbyes, brat."** The sphere turned into a beam of powerful energy, flying straight at Ash and Misty. The little child stood in front of Misty, his arms flung out wide in a futile attempt to protect her.

"Ash, get away!" screamed out Misty, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"_No…"_ a quiet voice whispered somewhere out of the depths of Shingara's mind.

"No! I won't let you die, Misty!" retorted the five-year-old, still standing in front of her.

"_I can't let it end this way…"_ the voice murmured, getting slightly louder.

"Ash…you are so stubborn," muttered Misty, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"_I won't…"_

"I know." A smirk crossed the little boy's face.

"_I won't…"_

The beam was too close to dodge now. Ash and Misty closed their eyes, waiting for the inevitable collision…

"_I WON'T!"_

An inch away from Ash's face, the beam suddenly died away, and everybody looked up in shock at Shingara.

He was writhing in pain, clutching his head as a harsh cry escaped from his lips. Golden sparks were electrocuting his body as his eyes were clenched shut in agony. **_"I won't let you escape!"_**

"_You don't have a choice!" _screamed out a second voice in his head, who was now pushing its way out. Everyone gasped in surprise as a golden ghostly figure began to pull itself out of Shingara's body, also screaming in pain. Both of them thrashed away at each other, before the golden figure managed to work itself free, before turning itself into a beam of golden energy, flying straight at Ash. It collided with him, enveloping him in a flurry of golden flames. Everybody cried out his name, before seeing his figure grow taller and sprout wings…

When the flames died down, Ash was back to his old self, dressed back in his dark outfit, with Ho-oh's bright crimson and gold wings springing out of his dark cape. Everybody smiled in delight when they realized what had happened.

Ash looked back over his shoulder at Misty, who was now struggling to get up. When she finally rose up, her eyes met his, and they locked for a moment before he smiled at her.

"Misty," he whispered to her. "…Thank you."

Misty smiled back at him. "Go kick his butt."

end of chapter 9

* * *

Well, Ash's real body is back, let's see what happens now...

As of chapter 10, it will take a little longer to come out, seeing as it's not done yet...


	11. Chapter 10: Final Fight

**(A/N):** Wow...I didn't expect chapter 10 to take this long. Hopefully now that I'm out of school, I can finish the rest of the story faster.

**Disclaimer:** (Insert witty comment about how I don't own Pokemon here.)

**A Whisper in the Wind**

**Chapter 10**

"Go kick his butt."

Ash nodded at her and smiled, before turning to the evil spirit. Glaring at him, his warm brown eyes bored into Shingara's empty red ones. Spreading his wings to their fullest extent, he rose into the sky, and prepared to face off against the demon.

Pikachu looked at his trainer shrewdly, his crystal eyes analyzing his every movement. _Something's not right here…his takeoff was a little shaky…_

Ash cringed slightly, feeling a sharp pain in his left wing as he took off. Ignoring it (as the stubborn are wont to do), he stopped his flight inches from Shingara's face, scowling at the evil smirk plastered on it.

"**Kukuku…all mortals really are fools. In your weakened state, you are no match for my powers, human," **hissed Shingara venomously, in a sinister tone so low that only Ash could hear it.

"Let's see you prove that then," Ash spat back, his eyes flashing dangerously, threatening nothing but pain.

Suddenly, they both sped back from each other and each took a mid-air fighting stance, both styles surprisingly near-identical. Flapping their wings rapidly, they dashed towards each other, fists stretched outward.

Both punches met, creating a strong explosion of gold and red, sending wave after wave of energy throughout the valley, making the blood red lake froth and swirl and the mighty trees bend like frail willow grass. The humans and Pokemon dropped to their knees, hands covering their heads in a brave attempt to shield themselves.

Looking up, they saw Ash get propelled away by the sheer force of the collision, landing in a heap on the opposite side of the lake. He struggled to get up, his body trembling violently from the pain. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he clenched his hands into fists and flew up again.

_Strange…Ash's attack should have canceled the other one out…_ thought Pikachu to himself, his crystalline eyes shut in concentration. _What is going on?_

Ash threw a blind punch charged with golden energy at the gray-skinned demon, only to see him duck under it and return it with a powerful fist to the stomach. Ash flew backwards and quickly flew up, narrowly dodging a red wave of energy. Ash responded with his own golden wave, which managed to catch Shingara off guard, striking him in the chest.

Smoke billowed from where the collision had taken place, when it had cleared, everyone was horrified to see that nothing appeared to have happened.

"**Congratulations…you managed to ruffle my shirt,"** Shingara commented snidely, dusting off his clothes nonchalantly.

Ash simply growled in annoyance and charged again.

* * *

The battle had been going on for 15 minutes. Shingara didn't have a single scratch on him, whilst Ash was nearly doubled over in pain, his clothes tattered and torn, blood dripping from various cuts and bruises. Pikachu had been observing the entire battle, and he was still trying to figure out why Ash didn't seem to be at full power. _This is not good…Ash is being forced to stay on the defensive, and even then he can barely dodge Shingara's attacks! If his whole self had really returned to his new body, then why…why is he getting hurt so badly? The battle shouldn't be going on like this…_

Misty was frustrated, she felt so helpless, and yet, Ash was literally getting the living hell beaten out of him. Or, in this case, getting beaten by hell itself. _And all I can do is watch…_

Everybody cringed when they saw Ash take a slash across his face, courtesy of Shingara's razor-sharp claws. The force of the attack sent Ash flying across the valley, where he landed right between Misty and Pikachu. Both of them looked at him with concern, before helping him to his feet.

"Ash, what's wrong? It doesn't look like you're able to reach your full potential," murmured Misty, holding his arm tightly.

"I…can't. It hurts just to keep Ho-oh's energy flowing. I can barely keep myself alive…" replied Ash in a weak tone.

Pikachu's eyes opened wide in realization.

"That's it! Ash's spirit is still recovering from Shingara constantly draining energy from it! He's still not healed fully from that, and trying to heal himself while battling at the same time is too much. There's too much damage, and no time for him to fix it!"

Everybody gasped at this revelation except for Misty, she was too worried about Ash.

"Ash, you can't keep hurting yourself like this!" she exclaimed worriedly.

"Mist, I have to stop this guy if it's the last thing I do…"

"And it probably will be if you're not careful!"

"Mist, aren't I always careful?"

"…"

"Alright, scratch that. But seriously, Mist, don't worry so much. I'll be fine," Ash said, giving her a weak smile. Misty couldn't help but smile at his hardheadedness.

"Ash…you're so stubborn," she replied, letting go of his arm.

"Heh…speak for yourself, Mist," he remarked before taking off.

Misty clenched her fists in mock anger, but if one looked closely enough, they could see that two of her fingers were crossed.

Looking up at Ash, Misty began to wonder. Why did the man she love have to be like this? Why was he always throwing himself into dangerous situations, always giving himself up for others? Always wanting to do things for the greater good? Always being so forgiving and kind, and wanting to always protect the ones he held dear? Why was he…Ash?

Watching Ash valiantly fight against Shingara the answer came to her. He did all of those things because he truly cared. He would do anything for those lucky people he saw as precious to his heart. And giving himself up was how he showed it. He was devoted, adventurous, a bit dense, actually, very dense, and determined.

She saw him take a blow to the chest, his wings suddenly drooping from the force of the attack.

He was _Ash_, she realized as she saw his limp form fall, heading towards the lake. Her Ash.

And that was really all that she needed.

Her emotions were all pent up, pounding away at her from the inside, screaming to be released. And they did, in one single word.

"ASH!" Misty screamed as she saw his body crash through the water's surface.

* * *

Ash's heart felt like it had stopped when Shingara had sent that demonic ray of energy in his chest. His muscles suddenly refused to move any longer, the meager amount of divine energy he managed to dredge up was no longer enough to force them to work. He felt himself falling towards the lake and tried to summon enough energy to flap his wings, just enough to get away from the lake, just a little…

The energy simply wouldn't come to him, he didn't have enough strength to pull anything from Ho-oh in any shape or form. It hurt too much to even try…but no, giving up was not an option, it would never be one, at least not for him. Closing his eyes in a futile attempt to block the pain out, he attempted to draw energy once more, only to wince as his body recoiled in agony from the searing pain that resulted from his action.

The burning sensation on his skin was only intensified as he felt himself fall into the crimson red waters. Water was flowing into his lungs, cutting off his air, making his already sore lungs hurt that much more. A chill was slowly enveloping his whole body, numbing some of the pain, he would have felt grateful…had it been not the chill of death.

Something closed itself around his neck, it was even colder than the chill that was paralyzing him, almost as if it was void of all feeling. He felt it yank him out of the water roughly, as if he was nothing but a limp rag doll.

Opening his eyes, he found himself face to face with a pair of gleaming red eyes set into a deathly gray face. He saw the mouth curl into a smirk, the sharp teeth making the grin even more malevolent, if that were even possible. Ash returned the grin with a scowl, wanting nothing more than to punch out every single last tooth in that mouth. But all he could do was raise both hands weakly and place them on the arm holding him in the deadly grip, in a last ditch attempt to pry the gray claw-like fingers loose. All that did was make the hand clench his neck tighter, until it came to the point where Ash could barely breathe.

"**Silly boy. Did you really think that you could stop me? I have, after all, blackened the hearts of many creatures since the dawn of time. My handiwork has wreaked devastating chaos for ages, even without my presence. I am a force of nature in itself. And what are you? A mere human, whose time on this earth doesn't even amount to the smallest fraction of mine; who, by chance, has been granted a power so much mightier than your kind that you are barely worthy of it. And yet, you fail to use it correctly, you scum! You…humans…sicken me, with your sniveling stupidity, with your false delusions of power and grandeur; when real power is shoved right under your nose, you are so lost in your fantasies and fictitious ideals that you fail to see its true potential!"** Shingara's sickly grin turned into a menacing scowl as his fingers tightened even more on Ash's throat, the sharp claws beginning to draw blood. His voice had become even colder, filling itself with a sort of raw anger.

"**That is why TRUE power should never fall into the hands of the likes of YOU! It is WASTED, left to rot, when it could be used for great things! And that is why I exist, to eliminate pests like you." **Shingara's voice was no longer loud and ranting, it had lowered itself to a sinister whisper. Ash noticed the red eyes flashing brighter, as if the demon had started channeling energy. Looking at the pale gray arm holding him, he saw red electricity pulsing down it. Locking eyes with Shingara once more, both of them narrowed their eyes.

"**Be honored, insect, to be brought down by the almighty incarnate of darkness."**

Ash grinned weakly, his old cheekiness showing through. "Be honored? Yeah, right."

Shingara scowled. **"Goodbye, scum." **A blinding red light engulfed Ash's vision.

And then, nothing but pain.

* * *

Everybody was cringing at Ash's screams of pain, it hurt so much to hear them. They couldn't believe that this was the way things would end, it just couldn't end this way, it just couldn't…

Staring up at the two figures suspended in midair, Misty felt her hands ball up into fists for what must have been the umpteenth time that day.

'_I'll be fine'…what a moron. Ash, don't you ever listen?_

Turning to Pikachu, she picked up the startled rodent and brought him up to her level of vision. Pikachu gulped, he knew something bad was coming.

"Tell me that there's another way!"

"W-what?!"

"There has to be someway to save him!"

"T-there is, but…"

"But WHAT?"

Pikachu cringed at the loud voice, in the back corner of his mind he wondered how Ash could put up with this sort of thing.

"It has to be done with extreme care, or it could hurt Ash more than help him…and I don't really think Ash really needs any more pain."

Misty calmed down a little and sighed. "Yeah…so what is it that we have to do?"

Everybody crowded around the two, wanting to hear anything that would give them hope. Pikachu lowered his voice to a whisper, making the others strain to hear what he was saying.

"As powerful as Ash is, it is only half of Ho-oh's true strength.."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Max.

Pikachu looked down, not meeting anybody's eye.

"The force of light seeks peace and unification. In order to promote that, it took a form that is dependent on two halves working in synch with each other. As you already know, it took the form of Ho-oh. In reality, Ho-oh contains not one, but two essences, the essences of Pokemon and human. When the two essences are unified, that is when its true power comes forth. That is why trainers who treat their Pokemon with the utmost respect are usually very strong, it is because they receive blessings from Ho-oh. It is also the reason why Ho-oh chose Ash to be his container; it is because Ash is truly in tune with all of his Pokemon, especially me.

"When Ho-oh fused with Ash, because of our strong bond, I received the essence of Pokemon through that bond, and Ash retained the human essence. It is also why our energies are slightly different from each other even though they are from the same being. (A/N: Pikachu's multicolored force, and Ash's golden force.) My force contains the power of all the different elements of Pokemon, Ash's contains the power of a pure soul."

"So…if we can unite both of you, you could defeat Shingara?" questioned May.

"Unite our souls, as a matter of fact. I have to propel my soul out of my body and into Ash's. That's the easy part."

"What's the hard part?" asked Brock.

"We have to be completely in synch with each other, or dire consequences could happen."

"L-like what?" asked Rudy, who was dreading the answer.

Pikachu looked up and fixated its crystal eyes on Rudy, who quailed under its stare. "We _die_."

Everyone gulped.

"Unfortunately, Ash is much too distracted by Shingara's attack. Unless we can keep Shingara's attention away from Ash, I can't fuse with him. We have to find some way of luring Shingara into a battle with us."

Misty had been listening quietly to the whole story, but when she heard the plan, she straightened herself, now resolute.

"I'll do it," she said firmly, with an air of grim determination. "You guys act as backup, I'll try and get Ash away from that demon."

"Misty, you can't!" cried Rudy.

"Yes, I _CAN_, and I _WILL_. Ash has always stuck his neck out for us. I'm going to do the same thing. He is, after all, my burden." Misty said the last sentence with a small grin.

"But Misty-" began May.

"Uh-uh. I've made up my mind, and I'm not changing it."

Pikachu looked up at her. "Fine then. Take Ash's Charizard with you, he's still reasonably fresh, and he's one of Ash's most powerful Pokemon. I'll come with you as well."

"I'll take Charizard, but are you sure you want to come? If Shingara gets you before you can fuse with Ash-"

"Definitely. When I made Ash take me with him, I made a pact to help him at all costs. I'm not backing out on my word now." Pikachu crossed its arms in mild indignation.

"All right then."

* * *

Shingara's grin stretched wider as he saw the brown-eyed child pass out from the pain and the lack of oxygen. It was only a matter of time before the boy would be eliminated, once and for all. It would be a shame that he would loose the opportunity to obtain the limitless supply of energy, but such is life. The extra power wasn't really necessary.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a sharp burning sensation in the wrist holding his prisoner captive. Caught completely off-guard, he followed instinct and gripped the burned appendage, making him drop the limp body of the boy.

Quickly looking down, he saw the body fall into the arms of the red-haired girl, who was riding on the back of a powerful-looking Charizard. Snarling angrily, he set off after them, only to see the golden Pikachu come out of its hiding place in the girl's bag. The Pikachu began to channel its multicolored energy into its paws. Determined to stop them, he dashed after them, but was stopped by several attacks from the others below. Quickly blocking them, he set off again, but was not able to reach the dragon before the Pikachu slammed its paws into the Charizard's back, causing the flame-colored dragon and everyone on it to disappear in a flash of multicolored light.

Shingara stopped mid-flight, and looked around angrily for his targets, only to see nothing. He crossed his arms in annoyance.

_**That red-haired brat is really starting to test my patience…**_

* * *

Charizard slowly lowered itself into a small wooded area, still slightly bewildered about how it had gotten there in the first place. Misty slid off its back, giving it a pat of appreciation before it straightened up and set off on its pre-assigned guard duty.

Setting the unconscious Ash down in front of her, she stared at him with a worried face before turning to Pikachu, who looked like it was channeling the multicolored force into its paws again.

"He's…he's not…?"

"No, he's not." Misty breathed a sigh of relief. "He's out cold, though. I'll have to heal him a little before we can fuse." Pikachu slammed the paws into Ash's chest, making his whole body convulse with the new energy. His eyes shot open wide in shock, then closed in pain as sharp, hacking coughs wracked his body. After the coughs stopped, he looked at Pikachu and Misty with bleary eyes, obviously showing his exhaustion.

"Hey…" he wheezed, grinning weakly.

"Ash, didn't I tell you to be careful?" asked Misty, her arms crossed in mock anger, although a small smile could be seen on her face.

Ash rolled his eyes. "I've never listened before, have I?"

"Ash…" Misty growled, her hands clenching into fists.

Pikachu grinned at them. "Look, can you two play couples later? There's a lot of work to do."

"Pikachu!" both Ash and Misty protested, small blushes appearing on their faces.

"**Aww, isn't that sweet. Two little brats alone together," **a voice snidely commented, causing everybody to freeze in shock. Misty slowly turned her head around to see the looming form of Shingara standing behind them, a smirk on his face.

"**You, little girl, have interrupted my plans for the last time!"** he declared angrily, a red orb forming between his two palms.

Misty felt her whole body go rigid, she couldn't move her limbs; she had to get herself and Ash out of the way, but she was frozen to the spot with fear. Instead, she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable…

_I'm so sorry, Ash…I let you down…_

"MISTY!" screamed Ash, who was still lying on the ground, desperately trying to pull some sort of energy to form a barrier to protect her. But it didn't look like he could make it in time…

Misty's eyes shot open hearing his voice and saw a flash of red…whiz right past her.

Charizard had also heard the noise and had managed to tackle away Shingara at the last moment, making him crash into a nearby tree. Shingara rose from the rubble, furious at the winged lizard who had surprised him twice. There was NO way he would let it get away with that a third time. With that thought, he channeled more red energy and fired it at Charizard, stunning it; before swooping in and delivering a powerful blow to the chest, causing Charizard to fly backwards through several trees. It weakly tried to get up, but could not, and slumped to the ground unconscious.

Ash quickly tried to get up, he had to do something before more people, especially Misty, got hurt, but Pikachu stopped him.

"Ash, we have to fuse NOW. Misty volunteered to keep us out of danger until we can reunite the separate essences. We can't let her sacrifice be in vain."

Ash looked very troubled, he wanted to go save Mist now, but he couldn't put her at risk by not being strong enough…

"Okay."

Both Ash and Pikachu took a long breath and began to concentrate solely on their spiritual link. They could feel the essences within them rise to the to the surface, yearning to reunite and become whole once more.

Pikachu suddenly released a large burst of energy and felt his muscles go limp, and slowly rose out of his body. As his soul separated itself, the body lost all its sheen and faded into the normal colors for a Pikachu. Pikachu was now nothing more than a mass of multicolored energy.

Ash focused on the pathways that channeled his spiritual energy, and they began to glow golden, illuminating the ash-grey marks on his skin. Slowly, he let his soul meld into the stream of energy.

Pikachu then lowered itself near Ash's heart, and let himself seep through the skin and into the golden current. He let his Pokemon essence spread through the entire network, until finally he had covered the entire system.

Returning once more to the heart, he found Ash's human essence waiting patiently there; it had no need to spread through the body since it already inhabited it. They faced each other.

"_You ready, Ash?"_

"_Let's do this."_

Immediately, their two separate energies melded together in a flash of white light…

* * *

Misty shakily rose to her feet, determined to stall Shingara for as long as she could. She couldn't let him get to Ash. Sending out her Gyrados, she ordered a Hyper Beam from the water serpent. Shingara easily dodged the orange beam, but was quickly snared by its long body. Furious, he charged up his claws with red energy and slashed at Gyrados' body, leaving long, bloody gashes in it. Roaring in pain, Gyrados began to thrash about, letting Shingara go. Misty hurriedly recalled Gyrados back into its Pokeball and silently apologized to it for putting it in such a hopeless situation; she then recalled Ash's Charizard as well. Looking back at Shingara angrily, she felt a surge of panic rise in her; Gyrados had been her only Pokemon who was in capable condition to fight…

Shingara smirked upon seeing her worry. **"All out of options already? Are you wishing for your demise?"**

Misty scowled. "I won't let you get him."

"**Foolish girl. You don't stand a chance against me."**

_I don't have to stand a chance against him. I just have to stall him for a little longer…oh Ash, hurry, please…_

Shingara began to charge into what he hoped was the last attack he would have to direct at the annoying pest. He charged closer and closer, powering up his gray claws with the crimson-colored energy. Extending them, he prepared to bring them down to claw away the girl's heart…

He was stopped when he felt his head get smashed down by what felt like a two-ton block of wood.

Pulling his head out of the ground (which now had a rather nice face print on it), he wiped the dirt off his face angrily, glaring at the red-haired brat who was holding a large wooden mallet. Judging by the way it was shaking, it appeared she had pulled it out in fear, as a last-ditch effort. He felt his temper rise quickly at being humiliated by such a ridiculous weapon.

Misty froze at the murderous glare Shingara sent at her, he looked truly angry now. Rising quickly, he grabbed one of her wrists with great force, almost enough to snap it. Dropping her mallet, she tried to pull away, but the demon's grip was much too powerful.

"**You little bitch!"** he breathed out angrily. **"I have had enough of your foolish meddling! Prepare to meet your end!"**

A white blur suddenly flew past Misty, nearly grazing her cheek, and grabbed Shingara by the collar of his shirt.

"Hurt her, and I'll tear you to shreds," the white figure hissed angrily, before firing a white beam of light from its palm. It struck Shingara square in the chest, sending him flying out of sight.

"Are you okay, Mist?"

Misty looked to her side, and nearly jumped in surprise.

"Ash?"

Ash looked completely different now. His clothes, consisting of a sleeveless vest, long pants, and a cape, were a blinding white, with a golden flame design on the edges. On his shoulders were armored pads, gleaming with a soft multicolored glow, and edged with gold. His arms had metallic bracers in the same style, extending from his wrist to his elbow, while his hands had the same fingerless gloves, which were now white. The vest was open, revealing a metallic chest plate that was in the same style as the rest of the armor. His pants had slits from the knee down on their outsides, allowing one to see the multicolored metallic leg bracers underneath, which were also edged with gold. The wings that extended from underneath his white cloak were also white, the feathers soft and downy, as well as sleek and elegant. His black spiky hair draped itself over his tanned face. Energy channeled itself through the patterns on his skin, but it was not gold, nor was it multicolored, it was a gleaming, pure white, representing the unity of the two essences.

"Ash…" she whispered happily, before she began to fall. She felt strong arms catch her, and looked up to see warm, chocolate brown eyes.

"Great job, Mist," Ash murmured softly, lifting Misty gently into his arms so that he was carrying her bridal style. "Come on, let's get you back to the others."

* * *

Only one feeling was in their hearts now. Despair. Shingara had ignored them completely and headed off in some other direction, and they couldn't do anything to stop him. They felt for sure that Shingara had been able to see which direction Pikachu had teleported to, and they couldn't stop him…

All they could do was watch in dread and hope that Pikachu had gotten the others far away enough to buy some time…

They turned around when they heard a large explosion from behind them. Covering their eyes to try and shield them from the bright white light, they felt a glimmer of hope.

More and more explosions occurred, as far as they knew, some sort of brawl was happening. They began to run towards them, but stopped as they saw something shoot out of the trees at high speed. It rose higher and higher, before eventually slowing down and coming to a stop. It appeared to be looking around…before it seemed to find what it was looking for-them.

As they saw it fly towards them, they instinctively stepped back, stopping when they felt an unexplainable feeling of warmth overtake them. It felt like it was telling them to stop, and to trust in the white force that was hurtling towards them at breakneck speeds.

Just when it seemed like it was going to crash into them and send them all flying, it came to an abrupt stop just a foot in front of them. Catching their breaths, they looked up in shock and happiness.

"Ash?!" they all cried out at the same time.

"Yep, it's me!" Ash exclaimed in his old happy-go-lucky voice, a wide grin on his face.

"You truly are back, Ash…" Delia said happily, her hands clasped together in joy.

Ash walked over to a nearby tree and set the unconscious Misty down, leaning her against the trunk. "She's worn out, but it looks like she'll be up in a minute or so…she risked a lot doing this…"

"Knowing her, she probably got that from you, Ash," remarked Brock, delighted to see that Ash truly was back to his old self.

"Yeah…" Ash looked down, his raven locks shadowing his eyes. (A/N: I love it when he does that!) "Guys…thanks…for not giving up on me…"

"If it wasn't for Misty, we probably would have given up long ago…She never stopped hoping…" Max replied feebly.

"Sounds like Mist to me…" Ash replied, a small smile crossing his face before it was replaced by a serious frown. A soft whisper came from his lips, so faint that they barely heard him. "Take good care of her…for me…"

"W-what do you mean by that, Ash?" May stuttered, dreading the response.

Ash's mouth tightened even more, his lip was almost quivering. Then unexpectedly, he let his face rise up, his mouth suddenly grinning wide again. "Oh, nothing!" he chirruped happily in his usual voice. Everyone else couldn't help but smile back at him, though inwardly they still wondered what Ash meant by his cryptic request.

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed suddenly, reaching inside the cape that was covering his whole body. "I almost forgot!" He closed his eyes in concentration for a few moments before opening them again, surprising everyone with their new crystalline shade. He pulled his hands out of his cape and produced Pikachu's limp body. The normal bright lemon yellow and black-brown color of the fur seemed dull compared to the golden and crystal hues that had colored the skin.

Ash spoke in Pikachu's voice, startling everyone. "Take good care of my body, will ya?" he spoke in the rodent's cheeky tone.

Brock stepped back in shock. "Pikachu? But…wha-"

"I'm just using Ash's body to talk for a little bit. I mean, come on, I gotta say hi too, right?" the Pika-Ash grinned.

Brock, who was still numb with shock, only nodded dumbly as he mechanically took the limp body into his hands.

"So…anyways, wish us luck!" Another wide grin crossed Pika-Ash's face before he closed his eyes and opened them again, restoring the rich chocolate brown.

"Ah…never mind him. He's a bit…ah…excited to beat Shingara…" Ash grinned sheepishly. "But, seriously, wish us luck." And with that, he flew off into the skies at the same time a dark pillar of energy shot up from the woods.

* * *

Blearily opening her eyes, Misty gazed up at the sky and saw two beams of energy, one black, one white, soaring up into the skies as if they were preparing to face off. Clasping her hands together, she gave a silent prayer, pleading for Ash to come out of this alive.

* * *

Ash rose up, climbing higher and higher, keeping himself on par with the black pillar of energy opposite him. Once both of them were a good couple hundred feet above the lake, both pillars of energy stopped abruptly, causing them to fade away and reveal the two winged warriors.

Ash couldn't help but hold back a smirk at the disgruntled look on Shingara's face, he was clearly not happy about being surprised twice. His pitch-black hair was rumpled and messy, and there were a few scratches on his face. The black clothes were slightly frayed at the edges, and small tears could be seen in the cloth if one looked close enough.

"**A new wardrobe will do you no good, brat."**

"Well, you look like you could use one!" retorted Ash in Pikachu's voice. Shingara was perplexed for a second before seeing the crystal hue of Ash's eyes. Quickly putting two and two together, he smirked.

"**So, the weakling has fused with the little rat. That won't help much, I'm afraid. You're only allowing me to take both of you out at the same time!"**

"Says the one who got blasted halfway through the forest!" countered Pika-Ash cheekily.

"**S-shut up, fool! I was only caught off-guard!"**

"That seems to be happening quite a lot recently…" muttered Pika-Ash to himself, although it was loud enough for everyone to hear it.

"**Enough small talk! Today, you perish!"**

Pika-Ash rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Yeah, right." He closed his eyes and opened them again, replacing the crystal with chocolate brown once more.

"Let's see what you can do."

Both Ash and Shingara charged forward in the air, fists outstretched and charged with their separate powers. They collided, sending out waves of white and black energy, causing both of them to fly back. Neither one of the two looked seriously winded by this immense display of power, in fact, they both looked like they were fresh and ready to keep going.

"Did-did you guys feel that?" whispered Gary in amazement.

"Yeah…it looks like this is going to be a massive battle…" replied Max.

Misty was standing up now, still resting against the tree trunk, holding up a hand to her heart.

_Please, Ash, please make it through…_

Ash and Shingara were currently locked in a battle of fists and energy strikes, dodging and weaving around each other's attacks, and recovering quickly from any hits that might have struck them.

Both had scratches covering their entire bodies, none deep enough to draw blood. Rips and tears could be seen on their once pristine clothing. Both had an identical frown of frustration on their faces, they looked so much alike it was almost disturbing.

"**I hate to admit it, but you have gained admirable strength. However, it is still not enough to defeat me…"**

"Well then, let's take it up to the next level, shall we?" Ash grinned, bringing his hands together. An orb of shimmering white light appeared between them, but instead of firing it at Shingara like before, the orb began to reshape itself into a sword. As it finished forming, Ash grasped the handle of the weapon.

The sword was about a foot long, maybe longer. The handle was a bright, shimmering gold, with a design of a phoenix rising from the ashes engraved in it. The eyes of the phoenix, as well as some of its feathers were glimmering with multicolored energy, The blade was thick, but not too thick, and very sturdy.

Shingara formed a sword out of black energy. While Ash's sword looked more like a knight's sword, Shingara's looked more like a saber. The handle was a pitch black with a serpent-like dragon carved on the handle to make it appear as if it were twisting itself around it. The eyes glowed a frightening bloody red. The foot-long curved blade glowed with the exact same color, as if it was yearning to draw its opponent's blood.

Both Ash and Shingara slashed with their swords in midair, drawing out curved sickle-like blades of energy, which then fired themselves at each other the minute they were drawn out. The blades met in the middle and deflected from each other, both slamming into two large trees that were standing on opposite sides of the lake. Both of the trees shifted forward, but did not topple over.

Ash and Shingara slashed away again, repeatedly, the sickles flying out rapidly, one after the other. The blades of energy would either deflect away and fly off into the sky, or annihilate each other at the point of impact, releasing deadly shockwaves of energy. At one point, two of the deflected blades slammed into Ash and Shingara's, leaving a large gash in their chests. The wounds quickly healed, but the blood remained, staining the torn clothes.

They then charged at each other and engaged in an aerial sword duel. Shingara struck first, going with a horizontal slash aimed at Ash's chest. Ash dodged the swipe and thrust his sword forward. Shingara ducked under it and attempted to slash at Ash's feet, only to have him jump up and dodge it. Ash slashed diagonally, managing to graze Shingara's face and make a line of blood etch itself on it, but not before getting stabbed lightly in his right shoulder, enough to draw blood, but not enough to seriously injure him. They both leapt back to their original positions, quickly healing the minor injuries. It would have looked like the sword fight had never happened, but the new rips and tears in their clothing said otherwise. Something new would have to be done in order to shift dominance. And it was.

"All, or nothing…" whispered Ash hoarsely, his sword charging up with large amounts of pure white energy.

"**For once, you are correct. After this, our swords will be no use to us…" **Shingara muttered, his saber charging up with blood-red energy.

Everybody felt the hairs on the backs of their necks stand up at the presence of such power. The sheer amount of power almost frightened them. They widened their eyes when they saw Ash and Shingara charge each other at insane speeds.

Ash and Shingara's blades met above the exact center of the lake. The white-hot and blazing red blades fought against each other, pushing back and forth. Soon, they were locked in a stalemate, neither blade shifting an inch. Both Ash and Shingara growled, before letting loose a large amount of energy, engulfing their bodies in white and red light.

All anybody could see was two lights, one white, one red, pushing each other, but still remaining locked in place. The two energies began to swirl around each other into a sphere surrounding the two, the red and white swirling around each other like the colors one could see in a oil spill on a road during a sunny day.

Inside, Ash and Shingara were still locked in combat, but unlike before, instead of simply forcing blades on each other, they were slashing at each other rapidly. Neither one of them could land any hits on the other, instead, the clang of metal on metal rang throughout the area inside the sphere.

The swords struck each other for the final time, with much more force than before. Cracks appeared on the two blades, spreading through the metal, before shattering, sending burning pieces of metal everywhere. The sphere blasted apart, the energy forming it becoming nothing more than wisps of energy that quickly dissipated.

The force that the swords shattered with blasted the two fighters away again, and they landed next to the two trees that were still slowly leaning forward. Both had shards of the glowing metal stuck in their bodies. They were both breathing heavily, trying to allow air back into their lungs. The remnants of the swords, namely the handles, were still clutched in their hands.

Shingara raised his head to glare at the still-panting Ash. How could a weakling human, an insect, be able to drag him down to this level? It wasn't possible!

Looking at the smirk that Ash was now sending to him from across the lake, he growled.

Apparently, it was.

But…he would not let the brat get away with sullying his name any further. Oh yes, the insolent child would pay…

Growling angrily, he charged his weakened body with dark energy and charged Ash, who had still not gotten up.

Ash was breathing heavily, it hurt so much for him to even breathe, much less smirk, but he did it anyway. It was well worth it to see Shingara get pissed off like that. Although…making an all-powerful demon mad at you probably wasn't a good idea.

Especially if it was charging at you at insane speeds, ready to tear out your throat.

Ash desperately tried to force his legs or wings to move, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get out in time. So instead, he channeled energy into the palms of his hands, making them glow a bright white. Looking up at Shingara, he saw him charging forward, the blood-red water separating arount him, his right claw outstretched, ready to grapple him.

Ash pushed his left hand forward and grabbed the outstretched claw, stopping it inches away from his face. The other claw shot up towards his neck, he blocked that with his other hand. They were locked in a twisted sort of arm-wrestle, Ash still kneeling on one knee on the ground, pushing up, Shingara hovering above slightly, pushing down. Ash managed to get up on both legs, which were now shaking violently from the stress, and then eventually onto even footing with Shingara. The red and white lights around their palms began to intensify and expand, until the area around them exploded with energy, sending Ash and Shingara flying backwards yet again.

Ash landed on his feet, his knees buckling from the pressure. Closing his eyes in concentration, he whispered quietly to himself.

"_The phoenix shall rise again…and once more soar the skies…to bathe the earth in light."_

The white patterns on his body began to expand and cover his entire skin, until his whole figure was nothing but white light. The form began to change, from a winged person to nothing but an orb. It rose into the sky, catching Shingara's attention.

_**So, the boy is finally letting his full power out…I'll need my full strength to fight it as well.**_

And with that, the same thing happened with Shingara, only his energy was that eerie blood-red color, the orb almost looked like it was pulsating energy…like the watching crowd's anxious hearts. It unnerved them.

The two orbs rose up a good distance, before starting to form into creatures. The blood-red orb began to shape itself into a long, winding form. Two bat-like wings seemed to sprout out of it. A head began to form, and it's mouth opened wide, looking as if it was ready to swallow anything, even the light itself.

The blinding white orb chose to take the shape of a large bird. The neck was long and graceful. The feathers appeared to be long and flowing, especially the tail-feathers, which appeared to be as long as the body itself. The beak opened wide in a silent screech.

Then, the lights disappeared, and the true colors of the silhouettes were seen. The red light disappeared to reveal a serpentine dragon. The coiled-up body looked long enough to stretch along the entire length of the lake. The scales were a void-like black, a shade that looked as if it could suck up anything. It's underbelly was a sickly gray. The wingspan of the black bat-like wings was enormous. Its head resembled a snake, with the sharp red eyes and narrow snout. The ears looked almost like miniature versions of the wings on its back. When its mouth opened, one could see gleaming white teeth, the kind that looked like it could tear someone to shreds. The serpent-like tongue flickered in and out, wrapping itself along the teeth, making them seem even more menacing.

The bird almost looked like Ho-oh, with a few differences. The beak was more finely shaped, ending in a sharp point. The feathers were longer and decorated with bright golden flames. The talons were much sharper and fierce-looking. The color scheme was different from the usual Ho-oh coloring, the base feathers were gleaming white, with bright multicolored feathers highlighting it here and there. The edge feathers were a gleaming gold, so that it looked like they were practically fused with the flames that burned brightly on them. The tail feathers were exactly the same. The eyes, sharp as a falcon's, were a glossy chocolate brown.

Upon closer inspection, it was seen that the creatures, despite how amazing they looked, were just pure energy, and not solid at all. One could even see the figures of Ash and Shingara inside them, in the place where the creature's hearts would have been. Energy could be seen spiking out of them and into the creatures, taking the form of what appeared to be blood vessels. It was clear that without Ash and Shingara supporting them, the creatures would not exist.

Both of the massive titans screeched at each other, stretching their wings out wide and raising their heads up in challenge. Both Ash and Shingara thrust their hands forward, and at that moment, the creatures spit flames at each other, the dragon's red and the phoenix's white. The flames met and licked at each other, wrapping themselves around the other flames before canceling each other out.

Ash and Shingara then spread their hands out wide, and the creatures mimicked their motions by spreading out their wings. The wings then charged up with more flames. Ash and Shingara then balled up their hands into fists, and the flames shot up and became even hotter. They held this position for nearly a minute, sweat dripping from their faces as the fire around them became hotter and more fierce. Ash and Shingara finally brought their hands together, and the beasts followed their motions. At the same time the hands touched in a resounding clap, the wings touched as well, sending waves of flames rushing towards each other. The waves touched each other and exploded, sending waves of energy out and into the creatures. When the waves of energy slammed into the titans, they wavered slightly, disrupting their form and making them appear static-y for a brief second, like a disrupted hologram. The blood vessel-like lines of energy thinned and wavered like wisps of thread before thickening once more, restoring the shape of the titans. They screeched angrily, roaring for dominance, before firing another streak of flames. This time, the attacks sailed past each other and struck the two titans in the chest, right exactly where Ash and Shingara were controlling them. They nearly sailed out of the beasts' bodies, before they pulled on the threads to keep them from flying out.

The two beasts suddenly dashed towards each other and began to engage in close combat, weaving and ducking around each other's bodies and attacks. Suddenly, the dragon surged forward and closed its massive jaws around the bird's neck at the same time the bird grappled its sinuous body with golden talons.

_**Another stalemate…this battle is becoming quite troublesome.**_ Shingara noted as he saw the lines of energy thin and flicker, now as thin and fragile as a spider's web. _**There is no more use in trying to maintain these forms, they are merely wasting energy. It looks like there is only one way to settle this…**_ he pondered as he dispelled what remained of the threads. _**It looks like the brat has arrived at the same conclusion…this should be interesting.**_

Indeed, Ash had decided the same thing and had dispelled his threads as well. The two beasts' forms were wavering again, still attached to each other. "_It looks like it's time to use 'it', Pikachu…"_

"_You sure? It takes a lot of energy, and it might not even succeed. We need to have Shingara at his weakest point if we want to have any chance of using 'it'."_

"_I expect so, but if we continue going like this, that option won't be available to us, and it's the only thing that can end this. It's obvious that this battle will keep resulting in stalemates. And look at his expression. I think he's planning on using 'it' as well."_

"_Alright, then. Be careful, it'll be your only-possibly your last- shot."_

"_Wow Pikachu, that makes me fell really confident now."_ Ash sarcastically remarked. Pikachu grinned cheekily back.

"_You're welcome."_

At that moment, the two creatures were finally completely dispelled and were nothing more than two interlocking bursts of energy. They swirled around each other, making a spiral pattern, before blowing each other away, resulting in another explosion, the largest yet.

When the smoke cleared, Ash and Shingara could be seen on opposite sides of the lake once more. They were holding their two hands only inches apart from each other, straining to gather massive amounts of energy between them. The energy condensed itself into a small sphere between them, only about the size of their palms. When the light disappeared, a small glass sphere could be seen in both warriors' hands.

"What? They used up all that power just to summon a glass ball?" wondered Rudy.

"But…aren't those similar to the one Pikachu broke back in the lab?" responded Brock.

"Yeah…so what's your point?" Rudy replied.

"Well, according to Pikachu, that was where Shingara's dark energy was kept. Apparently, those spheres can hold massive amounts of energy…" reasoned Brock.

"But…when Pikachu tapped it, it shattered easily!" exclaimed Max. "How could it hold that kind of power?"

"I don't know…maybe it somehow turns the power against itself, just like that force field that held Ash…"

"**You are correct, human," **Shingara interrupted from his position. His voice sounded hoarse, and one could see that he was near his limit. **"This technique was the basis of the force field used to weaken Ho-oh's container. It is very powerful and requires only one touch to seal something away…but it takes up much power to use, and is very fragile. It is truly a suicidal technique…and the one that will end this fight."**

"S-so that means…if Ash misses…" Misty couldn't continue out of dread.

Everybody else gulped and looked back at Ash's hunched form, it looked as if he could barely support himself. This battle would all come down to luck.

Ash and Shingara then began to glow with their respective energies, until they appeared to become the energy itself. Ash was now completely white, the outlines of his body a bright, shimmering gold. Shingara was black, with a bloody red outline. The glass spheres in their hands shuddered violently, threatening to crack at any moment.

They then dashed at each other, leaving trails of energy in their wake. Meeting in the middle, all that could be seen was white against red, pushing back and forth against each other. Everyone stared, transfixed by the vibrant light show.

And then, the white light disappeared.

"NO!" everybody on the ground shouted desperately.

"**Yes!"** Shingara exclaimed triumphantly, the energy around his body fading away. **"Now, darkness can finally reign on the earth!"** he proclaimed, raising the sphere up. A few seconds passed before he pulled it back down and stared at it confusedly.

The sphere was still clear. As Shingara continued to stare at the empty glass orb, cracks began to appear on its once smooth surface. They snaked along quickly, until finally, the glass ball shattered into many pieces.

"**SHIT!"** Shingara swore angrily, clenching his now empty hand into a fist. Everybody else stared in confusion and awe as they finally realized that Ash was not sealed away. But then…where was…

"SHINGARA!" a voice exploded at the same time a flash of white light appeared behind the still confused and pissed demon. Shingara turned around, his red eyes widening when they came in contact with chocolate brown orbs. He felt something get thrust into his chest and looked down, seeing a hand gloved in white holding a glass orb up against his chest. Looking back up, he saw the chocolate eyes replacing their color with a glimmering crystal.

"Tag, you're it," whispered a cheeky voice into his ear.

Shingara then let loose a loud scream of pain as he felt himself being sucked into the ball, trying with all his might to resist it. It was much too powerful, however, and pulled his body into it. Looking up at the smirking face of his sealer, he scowled at the boy, before whispering out his last words.

"**Damn you, brat…"**

As Shingara got sucked in, the demonic colors of the landscape seemed to peel off and swirl into the glass ball, revealing the bright, happy setting underneath. As the last colors were sucked in, the ball changed its appearance. It now looked like a black Pokeball, the lines drawn in red. It wiggled back and forth in Ash's closed fist, before finally coming to rest.

"And that's that," Ash mumbled tiredly, letting his body sink until he was hovering just above the lake.

Everybody's eyes widened in amazement, before they began to cheer happily. The Pokemon came out of their hiding places and began to chatter amongst themselves happily, overjoyed that the darkness had lifted.

Rainbow colored energy emerged from Ash's body, swirling around him before merging itself into Pikachu's limp body. Ash's clothes changed back to their deep black and tattered form. Pikachu's fur was restored to its brilliant golden and crystal sheen, and his eyes opened, a smile on his lips. He then leaped out of Brock's arms, celebrating with the other Pokemon.

"What…what happened, Pikachu?" Misty asked. "You and Ash had us frightened for a minute."

"Ash used the energy he had gathered in his body to teleport away from the battle just before Shingara hit us. He then teleported again right behind Shingara when his guard was down. It was really draining, but it was worth it," Pikachu grinned.

"What happens now, Pikachu?" asked Max as he and the others gathered around Pikachu and Misty.

Pikachu did not respond, instead, his ears drooped sadly and he diverted his gaze away from them, staring instead at Ash, who was now standing up unsteadily at the center of the lake.

"Pikachu?" Misty asked worriedly, not liking the expression on his face.

Pikachu sighed. "See Misty, we-" He was interrupted by an ominous creaking sound.

The two giant trees that had been nearly cut down during the battle were now leaning forward dangerously, threatening to tip over and fall into the lake…right where Ash was.

"SHIT! ASH, GET OUTTA THERE!" Pikachu shrieked.

Ash was clutching his head in pain, and he barely registered what Pikachu was saying.

CRACK. CRACK. The two trees finally gave way and began falling towards the lake. Ash looked up and saw them falling, one after the other and finally realized what Pikachu was yelling about. He leaped backwards from the first one just before it struck him, landing on all fours. He wasn't able to avoid the second one, however, and it hit him right on the back, sending him plunging into the deep water.

"ASH!" screamed Misty, her voice filled with despair.

* * *

Ash was trying his best to pull himself away from the massive tree trunk, but he was extremely exhausted, and the tree was too heavy. The water was not helping things at all. Looking around, he saw something rope-like and grabbed onto it, hoping it would be enough to pull him away. Instead, the thin object bent down as he pulled on it, eventually snapping in two.

As he felt his body come in contact with the lakebed, he released the black ball that was still in his right hand. It rolled away, coming to a stop a few feet away. Staring at the thin object in his other hand, he realized now that it was the stalk of an aquatic plant. Pulling it down further, he saw the white petals of a lotus attached to the stalk. Feeling his vision waver, he released the plant, watching it float up towards the bright silhouette of the sun visible above water.

_You're safe now, Mist. You're free._

end of chapter 10

* * *

Ten chapters down, one more to go. The final chapter will be up soon...as soon as I actually get to work on it.

If it is not too much trouble for anybody, I'd like to see a little more detail in the reviews. It's great that you think that my story is awesome and all, but I kinda want to see a little more than that. Maybe a little advice on how to improve, or your favorite parts, or something. That's all. :)

'Till I write again, ja ne!


	12. Chapter 11: The End

**(A/N): Oh my...I must have left you all hanging, haven't I? Sorry...**

**For all of you who listened to my request for a more detailed review last chapter: Thanks! For all of you who didn't...thanks for reviewing anyway! And for those of you who favorited without reviewing...er...thanks for the...um...silent support? **

**Anyways, on with the story!**

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A Whisper in the Wind 

**Chapter 11 **

"Oh no, Ash!" Misty cried, reaching a hand out towards the lake, her eyes stinging with fresh tears. She ran towards the edge and stared into its blue depths, hoping, nay, praying for him to surface. Her prayers were not answered.

Rummaging around in her pockets, she found her kazoo-like, orange breathing device (A/N: how do those things work anyway?) and quickly shoved it into her mouth, and prepared to jump in the water. Just before she could dive in, somebody grasped her hand and pulled her back.

"What do you think you're doing, Rudy?" spluttered Misty angrily, trying her best to wring free of his strong grip.

"I could ask you the same question, Misty," he replied, concern written on his face.

"For once, Rudy is right, Misty," Max added. "It's practically impossible to retrieve somebody from a lake that deep with one of those breathers. The pressure's too much for them to work…"

"I don't care!" Misty retorted, wrenching her arm free from Rudy's hands.

"But Misty…" Rudy tried to reason with her.

"NO! Ash has done the impossible for us before, or have you forgotten what just happened?" Everybody backed up slightly from the sheer determination in her voice. "Now it's my turn to pull off the impossible. I won't let Ash down! I can't!"

Everyone looked at each other uncertainly, before turning back to her and nodding slowly, one at a time. Rudy was the last one to nod, adding a desperate "Be careful…" Misty appeared to have ignored him, however, and had already dived into the briny depths as soon as receiving the approval of the others.

* * *

It was dark. Dark and wet. And it only got darker as she went further down. It felt like she wasn't moving anywhere, everything was the same no matter how much she swam. It felt like she would never find anything…never find Ash. No…she couldn't think those kinds of thoughts. She would find Ash.

Although it would be a tad easier if she had any clue as to where he was.

Suddenly, she could feel pressure on her lungs. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. The air just would not come into the device. She realized that she was too deep into the water…but she couldn't just stop! Ash was down there somewhere, dying…

Stopping her descent, she tried to take deeper, slower breaths, doing her best to fill her lungs with air again. It wasn't working. She was barely getting enough to survive, let enough to swim any deeper into the water.

_Oh…Ash… _She blinked once, a small tear escaping her eyes and mixing with the water, unnoticed, now only another drop of water in the lake.

But…even the smallest tear has emotion behind it.

_Please…somebody…show me where he is…_

Even the smallest prayer…wish…desire…has an effect on somewhere…somebody…something.

…_What is that?_

It was floating slowly upward from the dark depths, a bright white, contrasting strongly against the darkened waters. It was almost like a bright beacon lighting her way…

_A lotus…?_

It floated up right past her, it's soft petals brushing against her face briefly.

Suddenly, she felt a strong urging to go where the lotus had come from, she felt full of energy, like she could get through anything and everything. She swam, deeper and deeper, now ignoring the increasing pressure on her lungs.

Misty saw a black silhouette, it was large and straight, with many smaller jagged shapes sticking out of it. Another similar silhouette was laid on top of it, making an "X" shape. Quickly realizing those were the two trees that had trapped Ash, she sped up, soon reaching the crossed plants.

Looking around, she spotted Ash's unconscious form trapped under the second tree, the black Pokeball holding Shingara only a few feet away. The lines etched on his body had faded, returning to their ashen gray. Swimming towards him as fast as she could, she pushed desperately on the tree trunk, trying with all her might to budge it, to get that cursed object off of him. And yet, it did not budge, no, not a single inch. She kept pushing, and pushing, straining as hard as she could, as tears kept leaking out of her eyes and mingling with the water. Her strength gave out, and she slumped down to the floor, leaning on the accursed tree trunk. Grasping Ash's limp hand, she began to sob weakly, unaware that her breathing device was starting to bend and crack under the pressure.

_I…I can't let him down…_

_**Pathetic…**_

The voice startled and frightened her, it was so dark and menacing. _No…it can't be him…_

_**Give up, girl…**_

She saw the dark Pokeball pulsing with black energy, the red markings lighting up in a bloody glow.

_H-how…?_

_**Even in this accursed prison, I can still make my presence known…and I can see that you will fail…**_

_No…!_

_**Stop deluding yourself, brat. You know as well as I do that you are too pathetic for him, you do nothing but let him down.**_

_L-liar! Sh-shut up! You know nothing!_

A dark laugh emanated from the ball, the red light glowing even more fiercely.

_**Foolish child. I know everything. **_

Misty could feel herself freeze up at that last statement, her hopes all draining away. She tried fervently to push away the dark influence, but it crept up into her heart, depressing her and making her want to just give up then and there. Her head fell, her body shaking feverishly, her hand loosing its death grip on Ash's limp fingers.

_No…no…he's wrong, he's wrong! I am strong enough…right?_

She stared blankly ahead at the black ball, still shaking. Her eyes closed in fear and self-doubt.

…_Right?_

"Yes…" a weak voice whispered quietly, so soft it could barely be heard; yet, it hit her with the force of a thousand bricks.

_Wha…?_ She then jolted back to her senses when she felt pressure on her hand, looking down, she saw that Ash's fingers had tightened around hers.

She felt revitalized, and tears filled her eyes again, not of sadness and desperation, but out of relief and joy. _I still have a chance…._

She got up and began to push again, her will replenished. The ball shuddered, the aura fading away, along with the last words of the spirit within. They shook Misty to her very core, despite her renewed confidence.

_**Kukuku…struggle now if you wish. Your happiness is only a temporary reprieve. All bliss is. **_

Misty did her best to ignore the dark words, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at their implication.

She continued to push at the tree trunk, but as before, it did not budge. She noticed it was getting even harder to breathe, the device must be giving out, she reasoned. And she was right, cracks were starting to appear on the edges, the weak material giving into the high pressure of the water.

Ignoring the weakening device, she kept up her futile attempts to move the log, but it was hopeless, her by herself was just not enough to push the heavy object. She abruptly stopped when she felt a weak pulse of energy suddenly emerge and spread throughout the water. It was not coming from the black ball that was lying three feet away from her, no, it was coming from the limp form of Ash right beside her.

Almost instantaneously, she could hear the sounds of cooing and chattering, all heading towards her location. As the sounds came closer, she began to see the silhouettes of many water Pokemon, from Mantine to Tentacruel to Quagsire. Several of the Pokemon began helping Misty push the log away, while others were destroying the ends of the trunk in order to make it lighter and easier to move. The tree trunk now shifted easily under their combined strength, releasing Ash's limp body. Misty quickly grabbed him and prepared to swim to the surface, but was stopped by a Tentacruel grasping Ash's waist and her own. She looked at it in confusion, wondering what it wanted. A split second later, she realized that it wanted to help her get to the surface. She nodded a yes to it and grasped the tentacle around her tightly.

Misty glared at the black Pokeball as it became no more than a speck on the lakebed. _You were wrong, demon. He will make it through. You'll see. _

There was no response, save for a dark cackling.

* * *

"Is…is he…?"

"_No_, he's NOT!" Misty replied irritably, desperately trying to keep her own sinking spirits afloat. Ash had been unresponsive since he had been dragged out of the lake, and now Brock had been pushing his hands down on his sodden chest, forcing water out of the unconscious boy's lungs. Yet, no matter how much water came out, it seemed to do no good…he still wasn't breathing. With every second passed, more despair accumulated in their hearts. Misty could hear her thoughts whirling around, there were so muddled up that they were coming out in fragmented thoughts. He wasn't…there was no way…not after surviving all of that…he couldn't…leave…

She glared at his unmoving form. Dammit, she told him to be careful! Looking at Pikachu, she noticed his concerned look and began to worry-Pikachu was the only one who actually could comprehend what was happening to him.

"Is…is there…something wrong?" she asked the rodent, hoping for and dreading the answer at the same time.

Pikachu looked up at her, his crystal eyes unreadable. "He's dying," he stated bluntly, before jumping on to Ash's chest without another word.

Misty was taken aback at how briefly Pikachu said those words and gawked at him. "Wh-wha-?"

"I'm not one to waste time with sentiments when someone's life's on the line. We have to act quickly," Pikachu responded in the same toneless voice, his mouth quivering slightly. Misty noticed the slight twitch in his lips and calmed, knowing that Pikachu was truly as worried as she was. She had to muster up what strength she could and stay steady, if only for Ash's sake. She took a deep breath and let the question out, relieving the built up tension in her body.

"What do we have to do?"

"Get Pidgeot. It's the only Pokemon who's rested enough and large enough to carry all of us to where we have to go. Don't worry about telling it anything, it knows where to go in this situation. Do it NOW, I'll explain when we're on our way…"

* * *

A few minutes later, everyone was on the gargantuan Pidgeot's back as it soared through the sky; grasping on tightly as it sped along at mach speed. Somehow, everybody had managed to gather around Ash's sodden body, watching as Pikachu lay over his heart, fueling the multicolored energy into Ash's body. The energy pulsed through the marks on his skin with every breath; a steady, rhythmic heartbeat keeping him alive…for the time being.

"Right now, I'm acting as a spare battery of sorts by pumping my energy in Ash's body. Because his body has been pushed to the limit, he is unable to summon enough energy to access Ho-oh's power to keep himself alive. The key is to pump enough energy into his body in an instant to, in a sense, jump-start it. The problem is…on my own, I am unable to do this, because I can't focus my energy enough. I'm only a temporary solution. This is why we're having Pidgeot fly to where we are heading now…"

"Where is it?" asked Max, who was starting to turn green from the sheer speed that Pidgeot was flying at, it was a miracle that he could get his mouth open at all.

Pikachu looked at them all before closing his eyes and replying in a weary voice. "The Burned Tower in Ecruteak City."

"Wha-?"

"There's nothing there!"

"It's just charred wood!"

"It's more than just a burnt building," murmured Pikachu, his soft voice cutting through their confused voices like a knife through butter. "Its original purpose is still there…although many believe it to be long gone…"

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Brock.

"The legends of old state that the Burnt Tower was originally used as a means for a select few humans to communicate with Ho-oh, and was burnt down when greedy men tried to invade in order to gain its power. That is true. However, there was a hidden purpose for the tower that very few knew about, and it was for that reason the humans had attacked."

"What was it?" May asked, prompting Pikachu to continue the story.

Pikachu took a deep breath and continued. "The tower holds a special statue that channels the good energies of Pokemon and humans to form the unique white energy that you've seen Ash use in battle. That statue is where Ho-oh comes to when it is weak, and needs to rest. The leader of the group of humans who attacked the tower knew this…in fact…he was one of the humans that Ho-oh himself had chosen to communicate with him…"

Everyone gasped at the bit of this information.

"Ho-oh was shocked that humans could dirty their hearts and intentions like that, even when they had made vows and had been poor. He couldn't forgive the one who was supposed to be pure of heart for taking advantage of his moment of weakness, when only the lowest of scum would do such a thing. A human had fallen that low from a point of prestige…just for more power. That…that was the true reason Ho-oh fled the tower and refused to contact humans again. Ash was the first human to come in contact with him since that time hundreds of years back, the first to even get a glimpse of him at all…"

There was silence as everyone digested the tale that had been told.

"But…why are we going to the Burnt Tower? Wasn't a new tower erected and all the artifacts from the old tower placed in the new one?" Rudy queried.

"When people tried to move the statue, it refused to budge at all. Not even the strongest of humans could move it, and when Pokemon were forced to attempt to move the statue, they turned on their masters and fled, refusing to move the statue a single inch. That statue still stands in the Burnt Tower to this very day, hidden by an illusion that will only lift when Ho-oh himself comes near it."

"So…we are heading there to help Ash revive?" Misty asked, her voice shaking with relief.

"Yes…and there, we will meet up with the only other person who knows that Ash is still alive."

"Wait a minute…someone knew he was alive this whole time…and they didn't tell us at all?!" Misty's voice was still shaking, only now, it was riddled with anger.

"Yes…but it was necessary that he keep it secret...on Ash's request himself."

"Why?! Why did he keep us waiting like this, drowning in grief and worry?! Why?!" Misty was almost screaming now, wanting for nothing more for Ash to be alive so that she could throttle him.

"Because…he wanted to keep you safe," murmured Pikachu. The only indications that he was irked by her loud voice were a subtle twitch of the ear and a small grimace.

"Ugh…" Misty muttered, still seething. "Why does he always shoulder the burden himself?!" Despite the angry words, her voice was softening and her fists were unclenching.

"_Isn't that why you started liking him in the first place?"_ a voice echoed from the depths of her mind. Misty calmed down before getting irritated again.

"_Shut up, Pikachu."_

Pikachu's eyes remained closed, but a small smirk could be seen crossing his face.

* * *

Pidgeot circled around the Burnt Tower once, letting everyone get a view of the decayed building, still looking miraculously the same after so many years.

"Wouldn't…wouldn't it have fallen down by now?"

"Ho-oh's power keeps it from crumbling. So long as the building stands, it is a sign that Ash is still with us," Pikachu murmured. His crystal eyes followed a single plank of charred wood as it broke from the roof and tumbled to the ground, shattering into many black splinters as it hit the floor. "And it looks like for not much longer…" Pikachu continued as more and more bits of wood broke off the edges of the roof. "We need to hurry…"

Pidgeot complied and dove into the highest story window.

The top floor consisted of only a single room, black and charred as the rest of the building. It was bare, the only things in the room were scattered black planks and holes in both the floor and ceiling. It was dark, save for the light coming in through the cracks in the walls and the windows, giving the room a secretive, creepy appearance. Everyone looked at the state of the floor, doubting that it would be able to hold them all, but Pidgeot landed without a problem.

As everyone slowly crawled off Pidgeot, Pikachu cried out. "Morty! Are you here?"

"Morty?!" Shocked cries echoed through the room.

"Yes, Morty," Pikachu replied, eyes still closed in concentration.

"He-he's the one who knows about Ash?" Misty said weakly.

"Yep. Since he's descended from one of Ho-oh's communicants, he is the one who maintains the tower and waits for his return. Ash has been visiting yearly in order to rest. Morty is the only one who can initiate the process to let Ash revive."

"But…but what if he's not here?" Misty murmured, fearing that there would not be enough time to wait for Morty.

"Don't worry, he'll be here. Listen."

Everybody went quiet, and they heard a soothing, yet agonizing tone. Bells were chiming, but not in a high tinkling tone that most bells sang. They were slow and mournful, almost like…"

"Funeral bells," whispered Misty, distraught.

"The bronze and crystal bells chime that way when Ho-oh is close to dying. It is the signal for the communicants to come to the statue together and prepare to revive him. It is the most solemn and sacred duty of the communicants, and they must answer the bells when they toll no matter what…or face the consequences. Sadly…many of the communicants' descendants drifted away from the tower, believing that it was useless to wait for something that would never come. Morty is the only communicant left."

"That's…that's awful…for all of them to leave…" muttered May, the others agreeing with her.

"It is indeed. Especially when they would be needed in a time like this," a voice agreed with the group, surprising everyone.

Pikachu turned to the person who was standing in the doorway. "Morty!"

Morty was slumped against the doorframe, his clothes looking bedraggled, as if he had thrown them on in a hurry. His blonde hair was limp and wet, and water was dripping from it down his face, almost making it look like as if he was crying. On top of his usual clothing, which was a blue sweater with a yellow line along with some purple pants, was a white cloak with ornate gold designs on the back. The design was a golden flame swirling up from the bottom and forming the image of a phoenix within its many tendrils.

"There isn't much time for small talk. Please, I need all of you guys to help," Morty said in a rushed voice. "We need to get him over there, where there is a whole bunch of charred boards on top of each other." He pointed to a large pile in the back of the room, where indeed, large pieces of black wood were piled precariously on top of each other, making a sort of layered pyramid. Everybody gathered around and lifted Ash up, Pikachu still lying on his chest. Misty, who was cradling Ash's head, looked down at the unconscious trainer, noting how faint his breathing was. She truly hoped it wasn't too late.

"Place him there, on the fifth step," Morty instructed. They did so, and watched in amazement as the lines on Ash's body briefly glowed gold and the image of the blackened boards seemed to waver before fading away, leaving a brilliant golden statue of Ho-oh perched on a large pedestal. The pedestal had crystalline engravings of flames around its side, and the wings of the golden Ho-oh also had the same crystalline design etched on them as well. The Ho-oh had its wings spread out wide, as if it was giving out a sort of decree. Ash lay at the bird's feet, his tattered cloak spread out wide as if he too was spreading his wings.

Morty stood in front of the pedestal, and placed his hand above Ash's chest, where his heart was. He turned his head towards the others who were standing behind him, unsure of what to do.

"Normally, one communicant is enough to restore him," Morty said, his face shadowed, a grimace etched on his face. "But…"

"What? What's wrong?" Misty asked desperately, wondering if all this was all in vain.

"Ash is near death. It would take a major influx of energy to revive him…and I'm afraid only one person is not enough to convert the energy required," Morty said, still frowning.

"Convert?" Brock questioned.

"Correct. Ho-oh lives on the strength of bonds between humans and Pokemon. The statue stores this strength, but it is useless if it does not come from the human directly."

"Why is that?"

"Pokemon are innately pure at heart when born, because they are not driven by the higher instinct of power that humans have. It is because of humans that the bond is not purely perfect. That is why in order to give Ho-oh this energy; the communicants had to have pure hearts of their own. This ritual is not only a way for Ho-oh to restore himself, but it is also a trial to see if humans can keep their hearts pure. If their hearts remain pure, and uncorrupted from this instinct that craves power, then the energy will pass through them untainted and allow Ho-oh to live.

"In other words, if humans cannot remain pure…Ho-oh will die, and all the goodness in the world will die with it."

Everyone remained silent, their faces showing shock. Who knew that so much responsibility lay on their shoulders every day? It was a frightening thought.

"S-so you're saying that one pure person isn't enough to convert the energy needed to bring him back?" Brock asked.

"Yes. That is why I need all of you to help. You are Ash's closest companions, I am sure that you have remained pure of heart, if only not just because he has influenced you for so long," Morty explained.

"So…what do we do?" May asked.

"Put your hands on top of mine." Morty moved the hand that was still hovering over Ash's heart. "I need you to focus on the bonds that you hold with your Pokemon and the others that you hold close to your heart. Pikachu and I will take care of the rest."

Everyone did so, and watched as Pikachu finally got off of Ash's chest and bounded up the statue, standing on its open beak.

"Get ready, now!" Pikachu yelled in a hoarse voice. Pikachu's crystal eyes locked with the statue's gleaming golden ones, before Pikachu's eyes began to glow with the multicolored energy. The statue's eyes began to glow as well. One eye glowed golden, while the other glowed with the multicolored light. The two lights began to branch off from the eyes and followed identical paths down opposite sides of the body. Each light went down the neck before branching off down the back and etching itself in the wings. The lights then departed the wings and went down the legs of the bird, before racing down the pedestal and etched lines across its surface. The two patterns met up and touched before bouncing up and striking Morty's palm at the bottom of the stack of hands hovering over Ash's hearts. Everyone felt the influx of energy course through them and seep into the very core of their hearts. Everyone focused tightly on their strongest bonds and felt the two different energies within them become one.

Misty could feel her body shaking with the massive energy; it was so large that she could barely keep it focused. She could feel her body giving into the sheer force, but she righted herself and kept herself upright, focusing only on the bond that she had with Ash.

It was rather odd, she thought, that she viewed herself as a highly independent woman, yet she was so dependent on Ash being there just to feel right again…perhaps that was why that now, when her whole body was shaking and threatening to fall apart at the seams, demanding to rest; it was Ash who was holding her together; even now, when he was depending on her to pull him through, she was depending on him to keep her strength up. It was ironic, really, her unique bond with Ash, so different and so beautiful, and so strong…

She gave one final push and forced the converted energy out of her body, the white light surrounding her like a shimmering white glow. It covered everyone as it traveled down her arm and through her palm, gaining even more strength from everyone else's contribution, before slamming into Ash's chest with a mighty blow.

Ash's limp body convulsed with the massive surge of energy, the lines on his body glowing fiercely with the white energy. His eyes shot open and he gasped for air, his body shuddering from the sudden movement. The white light died, leaving the lines ashen gray again.

Everyone watched in happiness and amazement as he braced himself on shaky arms and pushed himself up into a sitting position and smiled up at them all.

"Thank you…" he murmured quietly, his chocolate brown eyes gleaming brightly, truly happy to see all of them safe.

"Oh, Mew…" murmured Misty, her legs shaking with tiredness and finally giving in, making her sink to the floor. Everyone else followed, their bodies finally giving in to the stress that they had refused to recognize throughout the whole ordeal. Pikachu bounded down the statue and situated himself in Ash's lap, tired, but still grinning cheekily.

"So, Morty, what happened? Why were you all wet when you came here, eh?" Pikachu asked, grinning slyly at Morty. Morty's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"I was taking a bath when the bells rang," muttered Morty reluctantly, not facing anybody. Pikachu snickered, along with a few of the others.

"The bells always seem to catch you at the wrong time, huh? Remember last time you needed charging up, Ash? Morty was over in his bed getting charged up with-"

"SHUT UP, PIKACHU!" Morty yelled, cutting Pikachu off. His face was now a bright tomato red. Pikachu rolled around laughing, and the others all joined in. The laughter made them feel relieved, like everything would finally go back to normal.

Ash laughed along with them as well, it had been ages since he had last laughed. Eventually, his laughter faded away, and he looked out at everyone else, who were still doubled up in laughter. He smiled.

_It's too bad…that this will be the last time I will ever laugh with them…_

He closed his eyes, and a single silent tear fell down his cheek.

_Thank you, Pikachu. You knew that I needed to see that everyone will be happy…_

His body slumped forward, his vision began to dim.

"_Ho-oh…it's safe for you to leave my body…"_

"_**Child, are you sure? You know what will happen when I leave…and you have just been reunited…I could ensure that you could live on for many years more…"**_

"_I'm sure. It's not safe for yourself, or for anyone else, to remain in my body. It's best for everyone…"_

"_**Everyone except you.'**_

"_Yeah, I know. But I agreed to this from the start, I knew it would end like this. It's okay."_

"…_**You are a truly selfless child. It's a pity that things have to end for you like this."**_

"_Everyone is safe. That's all I need to know for me to die in peace…"_

"_**As you wish…"**_

Misty had stopped laughing and looked at Ash, concerned with the way he had stopped laughing and had now slumped forward.

"Ash?" No response. Everyone else had stopped laughing at the sound of her voice and had turned to Ash. Misty stood up and walked forward to him, still sitting in the same position on the pedestal, his legs dangling over the side, his back now hunched, and his body slouching forward.

"Ash?" Her voice was more panicky now, why was Ash not responding? She was right in front of him now, but could not see his eyes, his head was bent too far forward. She looked down at the rodent in his lap. "Pikachu, what's-"

She stopped. Pikachu was no longer rolling around in laugher, instead, he was laying silently on Ash's lap, multicolored lines now etched across his golden skin. She looked at Ash's arms and saw that the lines were glowing gold again.

"Ash? Ash! What's going-"

She was cut off as Ash fell forward. His head landed on her shoulder as his body fell, and she instinctively grabbed his body to keep him from falling.

"Ash! This is not funny, get off and tell me what's going on!" Still no answer, instead, she only heard ragged breathing.

"W-what's happening to him? And to Pikachu?" May stuttered, frightened of what was happening.

Her question was answered when wisps of energy began to leak out of the patterns engraved on Ash's and Pikachu's skin. The golden and multicolored energy began to gather together in a sort of wispy cloud. As more and more energy leaked out of their bodies, the cloud became more and more solid. When all the energy had escaped their bodies, the lines became ashen gray once more. Pikachu's eyes opened, his eyes now a dull brown.

"Pikachu! What's happening?" Misty demanded, still clutching Ash's body as she sank to the floor, unable to stand under his weight.

Pikachu laughed, but it was not his usual cheeky laugh, it had no energy behind it and sounded haunting, empty.

"Ash has decided to release Ho-oh from his body," he murmured softly, the ashen gray lines now expanding and covering his body. "Looks like this is the end, huh?" Another empty laugh echoed from his mouth.

"What the-then why…"

"He'll have to explain. I don't have any time left…" Pikachu's eyes closed again.

"Explain WHAT? Don't leave-PIKACHU! PIKACHU!" Misty screamed in frustration, desperate to get answers.

Pikachu said nothing; instead he only smirked weakly as the gray completely covered his body. Everyone stared, shocked, as the body disintegrated into nothing but ash, which was then blown away.

"W-what happened?" Max asked, his body shaking.

"It's exactly as Pikachu said…I've released Ho-oh…" Ash's weak voice struck through the silence like a thunderbolt. Misty moved Ash's body so that his head was now in her lap, and looked down at his face. His eyes were halfway open, and his skin was deathly pale.

"Then…what…why?"

"It's safest for everyone if Ho-oh is not in a weak human body, and since the danger has passed, there is no reason for him to hide…"

"But what about you? What's happening?"

"Misty…don't you remember what I told you back at the lab?"

"Wha-?" And then it struck her…

"_My body was unable to handle the power of Ho-oh's spirit when it first entered it, all of its systems were overloaded, because it was too much to handle. The only reason I am still able to walk and talk is because Ho-oh sends its power through my corpse and constantly regenerates it. In reality, I'm just…one of the living dead. Once Ho-oh leaves, I will no longer be able to 'live' the way I am now."_

Misty repeated Ash's words from her memory, and when she was done, the meaning behind them hit her full force.

"No…no…that's not…it can't…no…" Everyone watched and deduced the meaning of Ash's words, and slipped into a similar feeling of despair.

"You can't leave!"

"You just got back!"

"Why now? Everything's finally back to normal!"

"Don't leave us!"

"I'm sorry…" murmured Ash, his soft voice silencing them. "But that's how it is…that's why I didn't want anyone to know…I knew you'd all be upset…"

The ashen gray lines were starting to expand…

"Why, Ash? Why?" Misty was crying now, her tears striking his face.

"Because…you'll be safe…"

"Ash…you're so stupid…" Ash chuckled weakly at that, before narrowing his eyes at her, becoming serious.

"Misty…before I go…"

Misty wiped her face with one hand and locked her aquamarine eyes with his chocolate brown ones.

"On the night I vanished…I asked you to keep a promise…"

Misty's eyes widened, and her hands gripped his head tighter.

"I asked that you wouldn't lose yourself…" Ash began coughing violently, and with each one Misty winced, she realized how much it was hurting for him to stay alive at this point. She noticed with dreading eyes that his hands were completely gray and that the fingers were starting to disintegrate.

"And…you haven't kept it…" Ash's eyes seemed to dim at this point. "I wondered why you never seemed to hear me all those years…"

Misty began to shake, she remembered the voice that was always whispering to her when the wind blew, but she thought that that was him…

"You never got the whole message…" The whole message? What was he talking about?

"And that's why…I realized…you never kept that promise I asked of you…if you had…"

Ash's eyes closed, his breathing became more labored and ragged.

"You…would have…heard…that…"

Misty looked at his troubled face and laid a hand on his cheek, watching as he took more deep breaths.

"What?"

"…Misty…will you keep the promise…this time?"

"Of…of course…how could I not? It means so much to you…"

Ash smiled.

"Thank you…" The gray lines were now covering his face, spreading…

"But…what was it? What were you telling me?!"

"…If you keep your promise this time…then…you will…hear…"

"Ash!"

"Listen…for…me…"

Ash said no more, his body was now completely gray, and it was crumbling…

"Ash! Please! Don't…" She could feel the ash slipping through her fingers even as she tried to grasp it, hold on to it…but her efforts were in vain as the wind whisked it all away.

"No…no!" Misty clenched her fists against the ground, tears running down her face. It didn't matter anymore, she didn't care if anyone saw her weak like this, she just didn't care because…

He was gone.

* * *

"**Child…I am sorry that it had to end like this…"**

Everyone started at the voice, it was unfamiliar to them. The voice was melodic and soothing, and they could feel their sadness ebbing away a little, if not reluctantly.

They turned towards the mass of light, which had been ignored in favor of the dying Ash and Pikachu, and watched as it became solid.

"Ho-oh…" murmured Morty, surprised that it would appear before them.

The crimson and gold bird watched them all react, before listening to what they had to say.

"Why…what would you be sorry for?" whimpered Misty, her grief clouding her judgment.

Ho-oh narrowed its eyes at her. _**Ash told me she was strong, yet she is letting her grief cloud her senses…she will never keep her promise to him at this rate. She needs to be set back on her feet…**_

"If you were sorry…you'd bring him back, wouldn't you?"

"**Hm?"**

"You revived those three Pokemon that were burnt in your tower, so that means you do have the power to bring back people to life! Show me that you are truly sorry, and bring him back!"

"**I would if I could, child."**

"What do you mean by that?" Misty demanded crossly, still upset.

"**I can't bring everyone back to life. If I could, all the pure people would have been brought back to life and the corrupted ones could rot in hell for all I care. As it is…I can only bring back those who died before their time, like those Pokemon I revived back in the burning tower. Ash, on the other hand, was ready to die, and welcomed death with open arms…"**

"W-why? Why are things like that?" Misty whimpered, her grief fading away slightly, allowing her to calm down.

"**To keep the balance. Everyone must die when their time comes, whether they are heaven incarnate or the worst sinner on the face of the earth. It is unavoidable. If I had been allowed to bring whoever I wanted back to life, the state of things would have been unbalanced. Light must perfectly balance with dark, good must perfectly balance with evil. It is the way the world has been, and the way the world will always be."**

"But why does evil exist? Why can't it…just disappear?"

"**Let me ask you a question, child. How can there be light if there is no shadow to illuminate? How can there be shadow if there is no light to cast it?"**

Misty puzzled over the question, and realized…

"**Light and shadow are forever intertwined. If there is no light, there is no shadow. Likewise, if there is no evil, then there would be no good to oppose it."**

"I…I understand…but that doesn't stop it from hurting…"

"**I understand. There is nothing that can completely fill in the emptiness in your heart…but over time, it will hurt less. You just have to keep your promise and hold your head up high. If you do that, then I can assure you that Ash can rest in peace. Will you do that, child?"**

Misty looked up at Ho-oh, who was looking back at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah…I can do that."

* * *

**--5 years later--**

Misty sat on her bed, her eyes roving around the room before coming to rest on the open window. It was a little quirk she had gotten over the years, always leaving her bedroom window open no matter what the weather. Her friends had often asked her why she never closed it, even during the coldest freezes or the most vicious storms. She would just smile and say that she loved to feel the breeze on her skin.

To say that she loved it was an understatement. She practically lived for those moments when the wind would caress her face and whisper into her ear…

Standing up, she could feel a presence by the window and smiled as she walked up to it. She closed her eyes as she felt warmth surrounding her body, and she let herself melt into it. She felt a pressure against her lips, and suddenly, they felt moist and warm for the longest moment, before the pressure lifted. The pressure was now on her cheek, it felt like someone was leaning there. She felt the wind tickling her ear, it was whispering the message again…

"_I love you, Mist…"_

She smiled and leaned against the slight pressure, and for the briefest moment, the wind felt solid. She knew…he would always be there…always.

"I love you too, Ash."

**end**

* * *

**(A/N): So...that's it! The end of the story that you were all awaiting! A couple of questions before I bid adieu...**

**How did you react to the ending? Sad? Upset? Angry? (Do I have to hide from an angry mob? XD)**

**What was your favorite part in this chapter? The whole story?**

**What was your favorite character?**

**Any improvements or suggestions from anybody?**

**Now...I'm planning to go into some other fandoms...here's a list of stories I'm going to attempt.**

**Writing for sure:**

_From New Moon to Full Bloom_

_The Boy in the White Kimono_

**Wavering on Writing:**

_The Art of the Jinchuriki Trilogy_

_Chakra Bonds_

_Currently Untitled- A Pokemon Naruto Crossover_

**See summaries for them on my profile page! Leave an opinion for what you think I should write next! Ja ne 'till then!**

****


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